


Under His Skin - FNaF AU Fanfic

by crazyweirdpickel



Category: Five Nights at Freddy's
Genre: Angst, Blood and Injury, F/M, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Murder, POV First Person, Slang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-08 22:34:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 36,919
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27484366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/crazyweirdpickel/pseuds/crazyweirdpickel
Summary: Summary... story summary... okay, I got this. My name is Michael Afton. You may know me as the brave and handsome guy that worked at Circus Baby's and got his guts scooped out. Or perhaps as the bite victim of '83. Anyway, I'm here to tell you my perspective on the whole thing. Warning: my life kinda sucks.(FNaF SL to FFPS as told by Michael Afton. Originally posted on FanFiction.Net on December 10th, 2019 and still in progress.)
Relationships: Michael Afton & Original Character(s), Michael Afton/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	1. I Did A Stupid

"Hey, you're quiet today."

I blinked myself back into focus. How could I zone out again and forget the hot girl spread across my lap?

"Sorry," I said. Sasha grinned a grin that sent warmth billowing in my chest. "You apologize way too much." I raised an eyebrow playfully, waiting for her to point out anything else about me. Sasha caught my expression and ran her hands through my hair.

"You're also way too cute," she chirped.

"Nice save, babe," I replied with a smile. She giggled. My mind began to wander again as I stroked her bare shoulders.

"So, what are you thinking about?" I sucked my teeth, feeling weird about telling her like I was divulging an important secret. "Um... d-do you ever get that feeling that- that- I dunno, like, you're not supposed to exist?" Sasha cocked her head, her eyebrows knitting together. "Uh, not following you, babe." My lips scrunched up as I tried to think of a better way to explain it. "Like, um, like a long time ago, you got cloned and- and you're that clone." Sasha's smile drifted away, then returned.

"You're crazy!" she cried, slapping my chest. I felt a twinge of hurt deep inside and forced a laugh. She didn't understand what I meant. My hurt feelings left me when she grabbed my neck and got real close to my face. "And you're also, like, really hot right now." The closer she got the faster my heart raced. Her hands trickled down lower and her breath tickled my lips. _Kiss me, girl!_ She opened her mouth and then the freaking doorbell rang. At the best time. Very hesitantly, I slid Sasha off me and stood up. _Where did I leave my shirt?_ I found it under the coffee table, threw it on, and answered the door.

"Hi, Mikey!"

I bit back a word. _Now really isn't the best time!_

"Uh, heyhey, Holly! So great to see you!" I lied. Holly, looking like a whole snack with a skin-tight dress and heels on, leaned against the tiny balcony's railing batting her eyelashes. I rubbed the back of my neck. "How exactly did you know where I live?" Holly smiled, this smile beautiful yet chilling like a sweet poison.

"I asked all your neighbours about you," she squealed. She put her arms behind her back and extended her chest as if I didn't already have a good view of it. "So, um, I was wondering if you were free later tonight." She ran her fingers down my chest. I forced myself to take a step back, already feeling my blood pumping.

"Um, n-not today, Holly," I lowered my voice, glancing over my shoulder. "I, uh, I'm super busy, uh, applying for jobs and stuff." _That's not entirely a lie._ Holly's lip jutted out and her arms crossed like a defiant tot. "Michael, you keep telling me that!" I put my finger to her lips to silence her just as I heard Sasha call from the living room, "Who's that at the door?"

"Just, ah, just a business lady with some offers," I got out quickly, then turned back to see Holly's eyes darken. _Oh dear, I messed up, didn't I?_

"You-you're- who's that?!" Holly screamed. Raising my hands, I backed away and unintentionally let Holly storm inside.

"Holly, please, I- you need to go," I said, already hearing the panic stir in my voice. _I can't lose another one!_ I didn't have time to react when Holly swung her hand into my face, striking it with a force I never knew she had in her. Something flashed before my eyes- purple. I clutched my stinging cheek, the world spinning. "What was that for?" Holly whirled around, the moue back on her face.

"Your neighbours said you were such a sweet boy," she said, her voice soft. Then she walked away, her blond hair swaying behind her. I didn't bother chasing after her. I didn't lust for her, anyway. The one I did, however, I didn't know was standing right behind me.

"Wow, I wonder what that business lady was going to offer you," deadpanned Sasha. "A blowjob, maybe?" I flinched and pivoted to find her with an expression I'd never seen on her face before. I gulped. _No, no, no!_

"Sasha, I can exp-," I started, but Sasha snapped at me, glaring into my soul. "Don't you even, you double-crosser." She stabbed my chest with her long fingernail.

"I- I don't even know her like that!" I tried. Sasha dug her teeth into her bottom lip and blinked profusely. She was trying to hold herself together. "Were you seeing her?" Her voice wavered.

"No! I haven't been!" I protested. Sasha shook her head. "Liar." She stepped around me to get to the door.

"Sasha." I grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving me.

"Ow!" she howled. "You're hurting me!" At that moment, I ignored her cries. "Don't go." Sasha's brow softened. "Please, don't leave me alone. I-" I swallowed tears of my own. "I don't want to be alone." Sasha scowled and yanked her arm free of my grasp.

"Oh, man up, will you? You're such a _baby_."

The words crawled into my head, burning my brain and sending flashes of colours before my eyes. _Those words..._ My head spinning, I stumbled back and fell against the wall, squinting through the colours to watch Sasha walk away. I didn't try to stop her again.

01101110 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00100000 01111010 01100101 01110010 01101111

The rest of the evening for me was a blur of salty hot tears. I sobbed my heart out into the couch pillow, only stopping after my aching body screamed. I rubbed the snot off my face with the bottom of my shirt.

"You can't cry yourself to sleep again, Michael," I told myself. "You're a grown adult now." I took my time getting off the couch and grabbed a VHS tape off the shelf. _This'll cheer me up._ I watched two hours of cheesy romance, hoping it'll heal at least 25% of my broken heart. But the couples resolving their issues with nothing but a kiss only made things worse. That stuff never happens in real life. I switched off the telly and slumped back onto the couch. The tears threatened to come back.

"I'm nineteen and can't stay in a relationship," I spoke the truth, burying my face in my hands. "I lasted two weeks with Sasha. That was the longest. And now she's..." My words trailed off as I began to sob again.

Sometime later, I heard keys unlocking the front door and bolted upright. _Father? He hasn't been home in ages._ I rubbed my eyes, not that he would care if he caught me crying; after all, he's done it millions of times. I heard footsteps down the hall, approaching the living room.

"Oh," was all Father said when he entered. I guess he wasn't expecting me to be there, which is fair. When I began to feel anxiety rising within me, my fingers took a strip of gum out of my back pocket and slipped it into my mouth. _Much better_. After a couple of chews, I watched Father go into the kitchen, open the fridge, and take out a beer. He popped off the cap and chugged half of it before taking a breath. I plopped back onto the couch, set on mourning again.

"Hello."

I sat up with a frown. _He only speaks to me when he needs something. What is it now, Father? Need me to wash your underpants again?_

"Hello, Father," I replied, trying to mask the annoyance in my voice. Father had sat down in the armchair across from me, clutching the beer bottle close to him. Only now did I notice his glimmering forehead. _What the hell has Father gotten himself into today?_ Father looked rather awkward sitting there, rubbing his unshaven face while staring with a distant, thoughtful look on his face.

"Did you lose another one, boy?" I wanted to glare or spit or do something at him but I just nodded, knowing he was right and that it'd be stupid to be angry at him; he didn't do anything wrong. Father chuckled lightly. "I was like you when I was your age." My heart skipped a beat. "Really?"

"No," he said.

"Oh." Father kept staring at the wall. I wondered if he'd suddenly lost his vision somehow.

"I settled with one girl. Took one look and said, 'that's the one'," he talked moreso to himself than me. I really wanted this convo to end. "Okay, Father." He continued talking. "Some advice for you, boy: when you do find the one, remember protection." He burst into laughter at his weird joke. I could only force a smirk and a "heh". "Okay, Father. Thanks for the advice, Father." At least he gave me some kind of advice; he never did that. _Maybe he isn't sober right now._

Father's amused expression slowly shifted into a dejected one. "Michael." Him using my actual name caught my attention. "Yes, Father?"

"I-" he started then failed. He tried again, louder. "I need you to do something. It's- it's important."

 _Important,_ my mind repeated and refused to believe. I nodded and waited for his response. _Laundry time._

"I want you to find your sister," the words spewed fast out of his mouth as if he'd struggled to get them out prior, so fast that I didn't hear him the first time. "What was that?"

"I _need_ you to find your sister," he enunciated. I frowned. _I don't have a sister,_ my brain told me, but a small part of it knew otherwise. _Sister..._ his words lingered. _I have a sister..._ I got off the couch. "I have a sister?" Father nodded. My amazement soon fizzled out and was replaced by anger. "Why have you never told me that?" I tried to remember my childhood, hoping I'd remember having a sister, but, as usual, I got white static. I rubbed my aching forehead. "Okay, I have a sister. And you want me to... find her?" More questions filled my head. _Is she older or younger than me? Does she have an accent, like me? What does she look like?_

"She was... lost to us a long time ago," Father hesitated. My face fell. _So she's dead then. I wanted to meet her._

"What happened?" I asked, only for Father to run over the question, quickly explaining, "Often children forget the most tragic of accidents, pushing it to the far recesses of the brain to be forgotten forever. That's why you don't remember her. But don't worry, you will get to meet her." _Okay._ _That explains my memory problem but you_ _didn't answer my other- wait, meet her? But you told me-_

"You said she was dead, Father," I pointed out, rather rudely. "How can I possibly meet her?" Father didn't reply, only tapped his bristly chin while he thought.

"Father?" I snapped in his face to get his attention. He blinked, then looked up at me, his silver eyes glossy, and asked a ridiculous question. "Do you believe in ghosts, Michael?"

"Of course not," I replied. "That's stupid." Father frowned, then stood from the chair. "Oh well. I suppose you'll find out soon enough." Then he walked away; off to his room. _What the actual flip-flop is that supposed to mean_? I pondered as I got up and went to my room as well. I decided it was time to get some sleep. I changed into PJs and sprawled across my bed. As I closed my eyes, I began to think about Sasha again. _She only ever stepped foot in this room twice._ I sighed. _Good times._ I slammed my pillow over my head as if that would knock the now-painful memories out of my brain. I don't know when I finally fell asleep.

_"Elizabeth! No!" The monstrous claw shot out. The girl's fiery red hair flew all about as she was yanked inside the belly of the beast. I fell to my knees, tears streaming down my face. The monster, fifty metres tall, snapped its head in my direction with an unblinking stare. Its eyes shifted from baby blue to a glowing green. I couldn't move my legs; my body was frozen stiff. I could only watch the transformation- the clown's teeth elongated into a deadly smile and claws grew on its hands. It transformed into a nightmarish bear that lunged right for my head._

A scream flew out of my mouth.

"What the hell was that?" I asked, sitting up and running my hands through my sweaty hair. My eyes darted around the room. I didn't feel safe here. The closet door hung ajar and for a second, I imagined the ugly bear jumping out of it. I hugged myself to stop my body from trembling.

 _There was a girl. I knew her_ , I realised. _I did have a sister._ I tangled my fingers in my hair, mumbling my thoughts aloud. "Why can't I remember her?" I threw my blanket off and rushed out of my room, heading straight for Father's room. I didn't care if he was already asleep.

_I'm going to find her, Father. I promise. But when I do, I'm going to need some answers._

Little did I know that would be the stupidest thing I would ever do.


	2. My First Day on the Job

I flipped through the channels on the TV, hoping to find something interesting. _Nothing_. I sighed and sank into the couch. _Nothing interesting._ The truth was that nothing seemed interesting anymore- not since that nightmare I had. It kept creeping back to me every so often like an itch you can't get rid of. I still couldn't believe that, after all this time, I had a sister.

The night before, I'd asked Father more about her. As usual, he refused to answer any questions. The only thing he did was hire me as a technician for his robot factory- _Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental Services._ Since I needed a job and technology piqued my interest, I accepted.

Sometimes I wonder where I would be if I didn't.

A knock on the door slapped me awake.

"Hi, stupid!" greeted another pretty girl when I answered the door. I became aware of the fact that I hadn't bothered to change out of my PJs.

"Good morning, Mabel," I replied. Mabel was my best friend and had been since high school. I almost hated how giddy she always was- it's like she can drown out all the negative by breathing. Every time I was around her, I couldn't stay upset for long, no matter what it was.

Mabel chuckled and a shock of warmth zipped through me. "Morning? Buddy, it's after twelve." I stirred my hair into some kind of acceptable style. "Oh."

"Anyway," Mabel began as she rocked on her heels, "I was wondering if you'd... have lunch with me." I didn't feel peckish, but I decided that having something in my stomach would take my mind off last night. I opened my mouth to reply but Mabel spoke first. "It's okay if you- if you don't feel like it right now." She ran a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

_She knows what happened yesterday. Ugh, she always knows!_

"No, it sounds great, Mabel," I answered quickly so she'd perk up. She bounced up and down with glee, her curly updo bouncing with her. "Good! Because I already bought it anyway!" she yipped. I caught myself grinning again. _This girl though._

01100100 01100101 01111010 00100000 01100010 01110101 01110010 01110010 01101001 01110100 01101111 01110011

"Sooo, have you found a job yet?" Mabel asked with a mouth full of nachos. I plunged my tortilla chip into the salsa cup and shrugged. "Well... yes and no." Mabel tipped her head to the side. "What does that mean?" I scratched the back of my head.

"I... m-my dad gave me a job working for him," I finally replied. Something about Mabel's thin smile felt strange. She broke eye contact to stare at the carpet beneath us.

"Oh. What is it?" she said, her voice hushed as if we were standing in a graveyard.

"Nighttime technician for his robot factory. Ten to twelve. Five-dollar wage." Mabel half-smiled. "That pay stinks." She paused to sip her drink. "Um, what did you have in mind?"

"I was just gonna try it out," I spoke honestly. Mabel's eyes strayed away as she rocked her legs back and forth. "I think you'll be a great technician. You seem to like your technology." She gestured to the neat rows of tapes lining the shelf. I smiled sheepishly. Most of those tapes I had no idea where they came from. "Uh, yeah." I hopped up and gathered all our trash to throw in the bin. _She doesn't want me to be a technician_ , I thought as I popped apple-flavoured gum in my mouth. _I suppose it is a dangerous job_. Once I sat back down, I decided to thank her.

"It's not a problem," she said promptly. "Dad gave me the money."

"Oh, no, well, yeah, but I mean, like-" I stopped stammering to get my words under control. "Thank you for cheering me up. Yesterday wasn't a good day for me." Mabel stuck her fingers in her pocket, her ears turning bright red. "Aw..." I placed my hand on her shoulder. "Thanks for being my best friend." Mabel's smile faltered, then returned.

"You are welcome," she said, folding her hands in her lap. Then she grabbed my arm- the one supporting my body- and squinted at my watch for a moment. I used my other arm to steady myself before I fell sideways.

"I have to go," she said, getting up and giving me an apologetic expression. "I'm glad I made you happy today." I nodded and scrambled to my feet to open the front door for her. She grinned over her shoulder. "Bye, stupid!" I waved and returned the greeting. "Bye stupid."

Every time I broke up with someone, she was always there to cheer me up. _At least Mabel's there for me_ , I thought bitterly, aiming that thought at Father.

01101110 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00100000 01101111 01101110 01100101

The lights flickered inside the old warehouse, barely illuminating the conveyor belts I walked past. This building was just half a mile away from my house and I had never stepped foot in it. I occasionally stopped to inspect a few colourful posters that someone had tacked to the walls- posters of bright and cheery clown-themed robots. Something about them made me feel uneasy. Maybe it was their smiles or their eyes piercing my soul. I flicked a strip of gum in my mouth- the spicy mint kind- and felt my muscles relax.

It took me a minute to find the elevator since it was at the end of the building in the far corner. I pressed the button. _That's pretty far down_ , my mind observed as I heard the incoming thrum of the elevator rising. The door slid open and I stepped inside a dimly-lit industrial elevator cage. Beneath my feet, a fan whirred loudly, blowing upward a few more posters of clown robots.

"I'm not ready for this," I mumbled, looking down at the strange mechanical glove-thing strapped to my hand- all the new employees were supposed to wear it. I wondered why until it let out a loud crackle followed by an automated voice, and causing me to nearly jump out of my skin.

"Welcome to the first day of your exciting new career! Whether you were approached at a job fair, read our ad at Screws, Bolts, and Hairpins, or if this is the result of a dare, we welcome you. I will be your personal guide to help you get started."

I exhaled to calm my pounding heart, inspecting the glove again. The voice came from both the glove and a speaker on the wall of the elevator cage. "Neato. It talks. What's your name?" I felt a twinge of stupid after realising I was talking to a glove but it vanished when the thing replied.

"I'm a model 5 of the Handyman's Robotics and Unit-Repair System, but you can call me Hand-Unit."

"Okay... Hand-Unit."

"Your new career promises challenge, intrigue, and endless janitorial opportunities." I frowned. _Janitorial? Man, I don't wanna mop the floors down here- I do enough cleaning at the house!_

A yellow screen with a glowing keypad snapped out of the wall and I jerked back with a shriek.

"Please enter your name as seen above the keypad. This cannot be changed later so please be careful," instructed Hand-Unit. I examined the keypad; it had plastic cartoon eyes on the top with a sticker underneath, its edges peeling off, that had "Mike" written on it in Sharpie. _Was that left for me? I bet it was Father._ I tried to spell out _M-I-K-E-Y-B-O-Y_ but the green letters glitched and shifted their positions. Frustrated, I smacked the side of the dumb keypad. The bar read _MINCFHEIJNSACL_. I tried to spell out my actual name. "No, wait, that's not-" My thumb accidentally tapped the ENTER key. "Ugh."

"It seems that you had some trouble with the keypad. I see what you were trying to type, and I will auto-correct it for you. One moment." A tiny circle outline that filled every few seconds replaced the keypad.

"Uh, well, okay then. Good," I faltered, pulling on the rough fabric of my purple uniform. I'd never heard of auto-correct before. Soon, the circle filled up and the screen went blank. _Please say Michael, please say Michael, or at least Mike._

"Welcome: _Eggs Benedict_."

"What?!" I didn't know whether to laugh or scream. _That's going to be stuck for the rest of my time working here!_ "No, no, no!" I tapped the screen, hoping the keypad would come back, but the screen clicked and slid back into the wall.

"I guess that's my name now," I accepted its mistake begrudgingly. "Eggs." I shook my head and pocketed my hands. A catchy little jingle played before the elevator halted with a loud bang that nearly knocked me on my butt.

"You can now open the elevator using that bright, red, and obvious button," Hand-Unit said. I pressed the button and the door slid open, revealing a dark catwalk leading up to a vent surrounded by caution tape.

"Let's get to work!" exclaimed Hand-Unit. I felt my stomach tighten. "Hmm. That looks really, uh, tight." My heart rate increased the more I stared into the abyss. I took a deep breath.

"Let's get to work," I repeated, then crouched to begin my crawl into Hell.

The cold metal brushed up against me as I crept through the vent. If it weren't for Hand-Unit faintly gleaming, I wouldn't be able to see a thing- not that there was anything to see. I focused on the sounds of my breathing and gum-chewing to ignore the fact that I was going through a vent with only one exit. Lucky for me and my anxiety, Hand-Unit broke the hush.

"Allow me to fill this somewhat frightening silence with some light-hearted banter. Due to the massive success and even more-so the unfortunate closing of Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, it was clear that the stage was set- no pun intended -for another contender in children's entertainment. Unlike most entertainment venues, our robotic entertainers are rented out for private parties during the day, and it's your job to get the robots back in proper working order before the following morning."

_So that's what Father's been up to._

"I didn't need a history lesson," I grumbled, though thankful to not be alone here. I halted when my head came close to a metal gate that took a second to open automatically. I climbed out of the vent and hopped to my feet, glad to finally be out of it. The room around me was small and had two big windows on each side with vents complementing them. A desk sat against the wall in front of me, covered in unfinished robot faces that blinked and made weird noises. I looked up to find a clown mask mounted at the top of the wall and stood on the tips of my toes to give its nose a hearty squeeze. To my disappointment, it only produced a tiny wheeze. _Lame_.

"Alright, where am I, guide?" I called, already bored. _Where are the robots?_

"You are now in the Primary Control Module. It is actually a crawlspace between the two front showrooms." I nodded. "Okay but-"

"Now let's get started with your daily tasks. View the window to your left." I did so and saw a dark room with a few twinkling multicolour lights lining a stage in the distance. "It's too dark to see anyth-"

"This is the Ballora Gallery Party Room and Dance Studio," explained Hand-Unit, interrupting me for the umpteenth time, "encouraging kids to get fit and enjoy pizza. Let's turn on the light, and see if Ballora is on stage. Press the blue button on the elevated keypad to your left." The keypad had two buttons on it, one of which flickered to life and turned blue. I pressed down the button and lightbulbs within the room brightened the stage area like a spotlight. The stage was empty. I caught myself glancing over my shoulder. _They can't get out, don't worry._

"Uh-oh! It looks like Ballora doesn't feel like dancing. Let's give her some motivation."

_Motivation?_ If you can't tell, I certainly wasn't feeling bored anymore.

"Press the red button now to administer a controlled shock. Maybe that will put the spring back in her step!" My hand hovered over the red button.

"You want me to shock her?" I asked just to be sure.

"Those were the instructions, Mr Benedict," Hand-Unit replied, then proceeded to repeat himself, "Press the red button now to administer-"

"Okay, I get it!" I pressed the button lightly and stared through the window. A purple figure within the darkness jolted and spasmed as it flashed white and blue. Loud crackles blasted through the speaker. _Does it hurt?_ I thought, turning away. When it stopped, I released a breath I hadn't realised I was holding.

"Let's check the light again."

A slender and curvaceous ballerina twirled on stage, her metal skin glowing under the harsh stage lights. I recalled her being on one of the aforementioned posters. Tiny mannequin-like figures copied her movements next to her- creepy little devils.

"Whoa," I breathed. _The robots went back to their stage just like that. But why were they not there before?_

"Excellent!" congratulated Hand-Unit. "Ballora is feeling like her old self again and will be ready to perform again tomorrow. Now, view the window to your right." It was the same as the left, except flipped.

"This is the Funtime Auditorium, where Funtime Foxy encourages kids to play and share. Try the light! Let's see what Funtime Foxy is up to." I felt my heart leap to my throat at the name.

"You better be there," I whispered, turning on the light. He wasn't. I clenched my fists and resisted another urge to look behind me.

"Looks like Funtime Foxy is taking the day off. Let's motivate Funtime Foxy with a-"

" _Another_ controlled shock?" This seemed like torture to me. "Okay." I pressed the button and waited for the dreadful zapping to stop to check the light again. The stage remained empty. My heart rate increased. _Why am I so scared right now?_

"Damn fox," I hissed, zapping him again. "Be there." I checked the light and the pink-and-white fox stood on stage finally, making choppy movements with his arms as he tried to dance.

"Looks like Funtime Foxy is in perfect working order. Great job!"

"Thanks," I sighed, then flinched as a gate opened. _Oh no, not more-_

"In front of you is another vent shaft. Crawl through it to reach the Circus Gallery Control Module."

"This vent crawling's gonna get old fast," I groaned, crawling through.

I squinted through the darkness, seeing yet another window, multiple flashing buttons, an array of pipes zigzagging along the wall behind me, and a small robot in the shape of a child hanging from the ceiling. _Weird._ I walked up to another elevated keypad, already knowing what to do with it.

"On the other side of the glass is Circus Baby's Auditorium. Let's check the light and see what Baby is up to."

"Baby?" I stepped closer to the window as I turned on the light. A lightbulb flickered weakly, trying but failing to light the room. "Hmm. The light's broken-"

"Looks like a few of the lights are out, but we can fix that later. Let's encourage Baby to cheer up with a controlled shock." I hesitated. "It's just a baby, I can't just-" Hand-Unit interrupted me again, firmly stating, "Press the red button on the elevated keypad to administer a controlled shock."

"Okay," I sighed and did what I was told. I still couldn't see a thing, so I waited for Hand-Unit to confirm my success.

"Let's try another controlled shock."

I pressed the button again, this time harder.

"Let's try _another_ controlled shock."

"This baby's rather stubborn," I noted. I wondered if robots could feel the pain. I peered through the window, trying to see if the robot made it to the stage, despite Hand-Unit's instructions. I couldn't even see a stage. I noticed a small crack in the window and hit the shock button with more force than I'd intended.

It took Hand-Unit ages to speak. "Great job, Circus Baby! We knew we could count on you!"

"Oh, thank God," I sighed, clutching my beating heart.

"That concludes your duties for your first night on the job," Hand-Unit said. "We don't want you to leave overwhelmed, otherwise you might not come back. Please leave using the vent behind you, and we'll see you again tomorrow, Eggs Benedict." I turned to the vent and frowned. "I can leave now?" _That didn't take long at all._

"That concludes your duties for your first night," repeated and confirmed Hand-Unit.

I never thought I'd feel so excited wriggling through a vent shaft.

_That wasn't so bad- I could get used to this. What was Mabel worrying about?_

01110100 01110010 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010

I spat tasteless gum out of my mouth before entering my house and crashing onto the couch. My knees ached from all the crawling, but I felt misplaced energy coursing through me. I hopped up.

"I think I need a reward," I declared and marched to the kitchen, where I microwaved myself a bag of popcorn. When the beep sounded, I emptied the steaming bag into a huge bowl and took a long sniff of the crisp buttery smell the fresh popcorn emitted. "Mmm." Then I snatched up my favourite tape off the shelf and popped it in the player. I watched the screen display the fancy title card to my favourite show: The Immortal and The Restless. Now, I don't want to spoil it for you, but there was this pretty blonde lady that argued with her ex-vampire boyfriend Vlad because he refused to admit that the vampire baby she'd recently had belonged to him. It's really interesting- you should watch it sometime.

When the first episode ended, the tape slid halfway out of the VCR and the TV screen fizzed to static. I was just about to get up when a raspy cough from behind caused me to fling my leftover popcorn all over the floor.

"Motherf-" I started, then whirled to see who was behind me before I swore. "Father." I gave him the best fake smile. "What a lovely surprise." He had a smirk on his face.

"I thought you grew out of that dumb show." _Ouch_. A pained chuckle escaped my mouth. "Uh, nope. I, uh, still watch it." I watched Father's face slowly turn grim.

"So you made it out alive," he said. I couldn't tell if he meant that jokingly or not. "Of course I did. Why would I not?" Father shuffled his feet, his mouth remaining static for a bit, then shifting into a thin smile. "That was a joke." When he paused, his eyes unfocused as if he were entering a state of deep thought. "There's been rumours of... accidents occurring there." I snorted, but a part of me felt disturbed.

"I'm not scared if that's what you're asking!" I forced those words out of my mouth. I stood and began to clean up the popcorn mess. Father stared right through me as I did.

"Okay," he grunted, then went to his room. I finished cleaning up my mess, then went to my room as well.

As my body fell asleep, my mind began to wander again.

_I didn't see any little girls down there. Then again, I don't know where to look. What if Father told me that just to get me to work for him?_

_No,_ a small portion of me knew otherwise. _I do have a sister, and I am going to find her._


	3. Doing Laundry and Hiding from Robo-Babies

The first thing I did when I woke up was waltz to the kitchen to eat something. The fridge was mostly empty; it had beer bottles, ketchup, pickles, and mayonnaise inside. I checked the cabinets and found peanut butter, tea bags, and a full-size bag of Cheetos. I poured the Cheetos into the bowl I'd used last night for popcorn, then sat on top of the counter.

Father trudged into the kitchen without a shirt on, rubbing his face. His eyes snapped to the bowl in my hand. "What are you eating?"

"Cheetos," I said with a 'duh' tone. His nose scrunched up and he grunted an "okay". As I munched on my 'breakfast', I watched him wash out the rusty kettle for tea. My eyes kept going back to the symmetrical lines dancing on his back. _What's that?_ I wanted to ask him, but something bit back my tongue.

"I need you to do something for me," Father said, not looking up from pouring hot water into a cup. I decided to play the funny guy. "Need me to find a deceased second-cousin twice removed?" Father turned slightly to look at me, his expression blank. "Laundry." _Shit._

 _"_ Yes, Father," I could only sigh.

01101100 01100001 01110101 01101110 01100100 01110010 01111001 00100000 01110100 01101001 01101101 01100101

"I need you to do something for me," I mocked, trying to copy his gravelly, overly-British voice. "Why can't the old man do his own stinkin laundry?" At least he let me take the car this time. I hauled the overflowing basket into the backseat of Father's car then briefly checked the lawn for any stray underpants. _All clear._ I hopped into the driver's seat, cranking up the car and patting my pockets to make sure I remembered to grab my wallet and driver's license.

"Next time he asks me to do something, I'm going to say _no_ ," I muttered as I pulled into the parking lot of the Laundromat, knowing good and well I say that every time I'm doing something for Father. Several times I came close to dropping the laundry basket on its way inside. Pinching my nose, I loaded the clothes into a washer. A button-up shirt didn't make it in the washer and fell at my feet. I picked it up and gagged at its pungent scent- it smelled like someone died in it. Speckles of dark red covered the front of the shirt. _Disgusting! Again?_ I glanced around to make sure nobody saw it but me then threw it in the washer with the rest. I closed the washing machine and took out my wallet, swearing when I discovered I had forgotten quarters. _I'll just exchange my money for quarters_ , I told myself.

I hesitantly walked up to the office window and tapped the glass. The man inside sat in his swivel chair, listening to his Walkman that was loud enough for me to hear the Hispanic music blaring from it.

"Excuse me? Sir?" I called, continuing to tap the glass. After an eternity, the man noticed my presence and turned off the music.

"Hola, chico. ¿Español o inglés?"

 _Oh, dear_. I winced and scratched my head as I tried to recall any minute of high school Spanish class.

"Hola, uh, señor," I attempted. My brain burned out. "I need quarters, please." The man cocked his head. "¿Necesitas ayuda? ¿Quieres saber cómo funciona la lavadora?" I had no idea what this dude was saying.

"Uh, no ayuda. Just quarters."

"No entiendo. ¿La máquina expendedora está rota de nuevo?" The man only spoke gibberish in my ears. People glanced our way and talked among themselves. Feeling my ears burning, I brought my hands to my face.

"Change, please..." I whimpered, ready to leave at this point. The man's jaw dropped as he finally understood.

"Ay, you want change?" I nodded vigorously and lifted my hand full of crumpled bills. The man reached through an opening in the window, took my money, then exchanged it for quarters.

"Gracias," I used the last ounce of Spanish knowledge I had in my brain.

"You are welcome. Buenas tardes, chico!" The man went back to listening to his music while I started back to the washing machine.

On my way back, I bumped into another stranger. The quarters I just got flew out of my hand and clinked against the floor, rolling under other washers.

"Sorry, sir," I muttered involuntarily and knelt to pick up the coins, feeling my ears redden again.

"No, it's my fault," the older man said, crouching. "Here, let me help you." He picked up some coins, then stood and handed them to me.

"Thank you," I said. The old man waved his hand. "No problem kid." His eyes became slits as he stared me up and down.

"Say," he declared, wagging a finger, "don't I know you?" I eyed the man; didn't recognize him one bit. He had white hair and wore a leather jacket over his suspenders.

"No, sir," I replied. "I'm a nobody, really." Just another spunky fresh-outta-highschool hotshot. The longer he stared, the more his smile shrank. "Yeah... I do know you." He chuckled to himself. "Michael Afton. Very polite for his age. Refuses to go to college." I drew my arms in, feeling exposed. _How does he..._

"How do you know me, sir?"

He didn't hear me; only continued to describe my character. "Always got something in his mouth, whether it's chewing gum or a girl's tongue." He snickered while my tongue flicked the gum in my mouth to one side where it couldn't be visible when I spoke.

"Doesn't go to church anymore. Had an awful accident a few years back..."

"What was that-" I started but he punched my arm, effectively silencing me. _What do you mean, accident?_

"Come to church sometime." He leaned on close and I tried not to crinkle my nose at his spinach breath. "Bring your father. He needs it more than you." He gave me another punch on the arm, then walked off, calling, "Have a good day. And be careful tonight."

I frowned, rubbing my now-sore arm.

_I have more ties to this tiny town than I thought. Why can't I remember? He said something about me having an accident a few years back. What did he mean by that? Maybe he was talking about someone else- no, he got everything right about me. He must be the local pastor. Father hates him._

These thoughts ran through my head as I drove home with fresh laundry. I wanted to find the man and ask him questions, but I decided it'd be better to ask the one who'd know better than anyone else.

01001100 01000001 01010101 01001110 01000100 01010010 01011001

"Father? I'm home. With your laundry."

I set down the basket on the coffee table. _I wonder if he'll care that I didn't fold it._ "Father?" I searched the house for the guy, to no avail. _Must be working again. I'll wait for him to return._

The landline phone in the hallway rang.

"Afton residence," I stated when I picked it up. "Hello, stupid!" The loud and chirpy voice of my best friend bled into my ears.

"Hi, Mabel," I couldn't stop a giggle. _Someone's excited today._

"So, today I was reading the paper and- I don't normally do that, but today I did- I took it from my dad- I found out there's this festival thingie for celebrating the end of summer," she rattled on.

_Festival, huh?_

"That sounds fun," I said, twirling my finger in the phone cord, "when does it start?" I heard her take a breath before replying.

"It started today, but it doesn't end 'til Friday. I was hoping you could join me this Thursday? There's fireworks, it said. I really like fireworks. So, will you?" I couldn't imagine saying no to this girl.

"Of course I will!"

"Great! Thank you, Mikey!" If we weren't on the phone, she would have hugged me so hard my eyeballs would pop out. "Oh, by the way, how was the first day of your new job?" I shrugged. "It was cool. Saw some robots. Didn't get to fix any though."

"Maybe today you will."

"Yeah." Mabel paused. "Anyway, I'll let you go. Bye, stupid! See you Thursday!"

"Goodbye, Mabel," I said before hanging up the phone. I fist-pumped, feeling excitement stirring in my extremities. _I finally have something to do during the day other than watch TV and play video games!_

01101110 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00100000 01110100 01110111 01101111

The elevator began its descent into the underground facility. I kept running my thumb over the metal name badge attached to my uniform, smirking with pride. The badge read, _Eggs Benedict_. I didn't care about the name so much as having a badge. I felt a vibration on my hand and looked down at Hand-Unit.

"Hello, Handy," I greeted.

"Hello, Mr Benedict. Welcome back for another night of intellectual stimulation, pivotal career choices and self-reflection on past mistakes."

"Uh, okay."

"We're committed to creating a unique and fulfilling work experience. One part of that commitment is to ensure that you don't get tired of the voice that you're hearing right now." The yellow tablet snapped in front of me.

"Using the keypad below, please select a new companion voice. For male, press one. For female, press two. For text-only, press three. For other options, press four."

"Female," I said, then frowned as I realised there weren't any numbers on the keypad. I tried to spell it out, but, yet again, the keypad glitched out. "Broken again."

"It seems that you had some trouble with the keypad. I see what you were trying to type, and I will auto-correct it for you." I ran my hands through my hair. _Oh no..._

"Thank you for choosing: Angsty Teen."

"Angsty Teen? What?"

Hand-Unit remained silent for the rest of the ride. When the elevator came to a stop, a different voice spoke.

"The elevator stopped. You know the routine. You can get out now or... whatever. Stay here if you want." I scowled. "No, I'll be getting out. The sooner I get this done, the sooner I go home."

"Huh. Okay, " I heard Angsty Teen mutter. I crawled through the vent to the Control Module.

"So funny story," Angsty Teen started, "a dead body was found in this vent once." My stomach lurched. "What the-"

"Okay... so not that funny. But it's a story! Wanna hear it?"

"No!" I answered promptly, now aware of my loud breathing.

"Alright, geez."

"Ok, let's start with your nightly chores," he said when I made it to the Control Module. "You should check on Ballora and make sure she's on her stage but... whatever." I rolled my eyes and turned on the light. The ballerina was gone. How predictable.

"Huh. I guess Ballora has better things to do. Let's zap 'er! That should be fun!"

I pressed the controlled shock button, though hesitant to do so. After the crackling ceased, I checked the light. Ballora was nowhere to be seen.  
"Hey, Angsty? Should I zap her again?" I asked. The glove began to vibrate as a loud garbling noise spilt out of the speakers. I covered my ears, suddenly feeling nauseous.

"What is that?!" I shouted, clutching my head and trying to not make a floor pizza. Then the noise stopped. Angsty Teen spoke again as if nothing happened.

"Let's check on Funtime Foxy, make sure he's ready for showtime tomorrow."

"But what about-" I stopped my protest and did what I was told. The light didn't turn on. "Hey, it-"

" **GREAT. GREAT. GREAT**." Angsty's voice was low and glitchy. I slapped the glove, ignoring a rising feeling that I'd be all alone if the thing was broken. "Work, dammit!"

"There seems to have been a problem with the voice synthesizer. Default settings have been restored." My body relaxed when I heard Handy's voice again. "Please proceed through the vent ahead of you to Circus Baby's Auditorium."

"Okay, Handy."

Circus Control seemed colder than usual. I shivered, wishing my uniform had longer sleeves.

"Circus Baby had a busy day today! Let's check the light and make sure she's in proper working order." I tapped the light button, expecting the light to fail again. It did.

"Oh Circus Baby, we aren't here to play hide and seek. Let's encourage Baby to come out of hiding with a controlled shock."

" _Encourage_ ," I repeated dryly. I pressed the shock button but it refused to budge. "Huh?"

"Let's try another controlled shock."

"Dude, it doesn't work," I said, trying the button again. _Why does everything keep breaking in here?_

 _"_ There seems to be a power malfunction that is affecting our ability to properly motivate Baby."

"Yeah, no kidding," I muttered.

"Please stand by while I reboot the system. I will be offline momentarily during this process. Various other systems may be offline as well, such as security doors, vent locks, and oxygen. Commencing system restart."

"Wait!" I said, louder than I meant to. Every light cut off, letting the darkness swallow me whole.

 _No oxygen?_ I already felt lightheaded.

"Handy?" I called, my voice a whimper. "Hello?" A new voice, soft and wispy, echoed through the room.

"I don't recognize you. You are new. I remember this... scenario, however. It's a strange thing to want to do, to come here." I didn't say a word; only squinted through the darkness to try and find who was speaking.

"I'm curious what events would lead a person to want to spend their nights in a place like this... willingly. Maybe curiosity... maybe ignorance." _Ignorance?_

"There is a space under the desk. Someone before you crafted it into a hiding place and it worked for him. I recommend that you hurry though. You will be safe there."

I realised how exposed I was and shrank. "Wait, what's going on? Who are you? Are you Circus Baby?" I could've sworn the lady sighed.

"Just try not to make eye contact. It will be over soon. They will lose interest."

"WHO?" The lady didn't say another word. I stomped my foot and groaned, "Dammit..." I crouched and peered under the desk to find what she was talking about. There was a tiny space underneath; it had a door made from a thin and holey sheet of metal. I squished my body into the space and slid the makeshift door closed. The space heated up quick. _What am I even hiding from?_ I felt stupid hiding from nothing, but my brain wouldn't let me move. My legs were crammed under my chest and begging to be stretched out. Then I heard something- like scurrying. _What's that?_ I held my breath and waited.

"Someone is inside." A tiny voice whispered rather close. It tapped the door, making me flinch and bump my head on the bottom of the table.

"Hello in there..." another tiny voice whispered. I fumbled with the device on my hand and accidentally blinded myself. _Found the flashlight._ I aimed it through the tiny holes, hoping I'd find nothing there. A plastic blue eye peered back at me. I covered my mouth before I screamed and slammed a finger on the off button to turn off the flashlight. _It's a robot_... I realised. _One of the baby ones._ That didn't make me feel any less frightened.

"Is it the same person?" asked the robot thing outside my hiding spot. _There's more than one._ I gulped. They tapped the door again, this time several times. "Knock knock..." I squeezed my eyes shut. _Go away, please!_ I felt the warmth drain from my body when I heard the metal door sliding open slowly.

"No!" I mouthed and grasped the door, pulling it shut. The sharp edges of the metal dug into my palms but I ignored the pain. I watched my knuckles turn white. _Please, stop pulling! These babies are strong!_ Soon, the resistance lifted and I slammed it shut.

"Oh, thank God!" I breathed.

"We will find a way inside," threatened one of the robo-babies. They tapped the door again. I decided to ease my fear and play the funny guy.

"I know I'm irresistible, but you are _not_ getting this!" My remark, though quiet, boosted my morale. I heard a growl, followed by the sliding of the door opening again. I pulled it shut, this time with more force.

"Ha!" I taunted, then wondered if I should be taunting a robot. After a pause, one of the robots gasped.

"She's watching us."

"We have to leave now." I heard a tiny tap. "We'll see you again soon!" The room fell silent, and after waiting for a minute, I decided to open the door.

"When your guide comes back online, he is going to tell you that he was unsuccessful, that you must restart the system manually," the disembodied woman interrupted the silence. "He will then tell you to crawl through Ballora Gallery as fast as you can to reach the Breaker Room. If you follow his instructions, you will die." It took me a minute to process what she was saying.

_Restart system manually? Crawl through? Ballora Gallery? Die?_

"Die? Excuse me-"

"Ballora will not return to her stage anymore. She will catch you. The power will be restored shortly. When you crawl through Ballora Gallery, go slowly. She cannot see you and can only listen for your movement. When you hear her music become louder, she is growing near, listening for you. Wait and be still."

"Okay," I mumbled. I scrambled out of my hiding spot and brushed dust off my jeans. "Okay."

_More crawling, huh? That shouldn't be too difficult. I just have to go slow._


	4. Ballerinas, Bears, and Babies

"Thank you for your patience," Hand-Unit's voice echoed through the building. "It seems that the power system cannot be restarted automatically. You will need to restart the power system manually. Please return to the primary control module."

"That's exactly what that robot lady said," I thought aloud as I hurried back through the vent.

"You will now be required to crawl through the Ballora Gallery using the vent to your left to reach the Breaker Room," directed Hand-Unit. I peered through the dark vent shaft.

_This looks terrifying._

"It is recommended that you stay low to the ground, and reach the other side as fast as possible as to not disturb Ballora."

"She said you'd say that," I mumbled. I didn't know if I could trust this machine anymore.

"It is against the rules to converse with active machinery programmed to entertain children," Hand-Unit scolded me. "Unfortunately, this kind of behaviour will be on record and may require disciplinary action."

"Wonderful," I sighed, then ducked into the vent leading to the dreaded Ballora Gallery.

"I will deactivate myself momentarily, as to not create an auditory disturbance," Hand-Unit's voice echoed through the dark room. "Deactivating..." My eyes darted around the room, trying to catch any movement. I dared to switch on my flashlight. _She won't see it_ , my brain reminded, but I still felt uneasy about it. I lifted one shaky hand, preparing to crawl, then hesitated. I used that hand to slide a cinnamon gum strip in my mouth. The flavour spread in my mouth, spreading a wave of calm through my body.

_And go._

I began my belly crawl through Ballora Gallery.

"Slow and steady," I mouthed. I kept my head down as I went, wincing every time I heard my palms smack the tiled floor. My ears caught a faint sound approaching- a twinkling music box. I froze in place. _Where is it coming from?_ I glanced around, my heartbeat, breathing, and panicky gum-chewing sounding like a whole orchestra with how loud they were. _Nothing's there! You can go._ I was too scared to continue.

"You have to move," I mumbled, my voice shuddering. I forced my stiff muscles to crawl. Eventually, I saw the exit- it seemed miles away. I kept an even pace, going and stopping when I heard a sound. _Almost there._ I clenched my fists and decided to gun it. _Almost there!_

"It seems you are taking a long time. Please proceed as quickly and as **quietly** as possible."

"No!" I caught myself gasping and clamped a hand over my mouth.

_Hand-Unit, you're gonna get me killed!_

"Is someone there?" A deep toneless voice rang in my ears. The music approached at alarming speeds and I stopped just as a silhouette of a ballerina twirled past. I closed my eyes and held my breath, feeling the frigid breeze of her movement brushing against my face.

_Don't move._

The music trailed off slowly. My lungs screamed for air and I let go of my breath. I looked up, realising the exit was right there.

_I have to go for it._

I scrambled to my feet and ran for the door, ignoring the clicking and screeching of the machine behind me. I slammed the door shut. A thud sounded from the other side. "I did it." I felt a grin on my face. But that grin disappeared when I saw the next room.

Tangled wires and pipes were strewn all across the room. A light flashed every few seconds. In front of me was a circuit breaker box and a tablet displaying the building's layout.

"You may now interface with the breaker control box," Hand-Unit said. "Using the interface may disrupt nearby electronics. If you feel you are in danger, feel free to disconnect the interface temporarily until it is safe to reconnect."

"Oh, great. More killer robots," I panted. I examined the building layout. Warning signs flashed on each room- the power was out. I tampered with buttons until a meter popped up showing the percentage of power restored. _This isn't so bad_ , I thought as I held down the RESTORE button.

"I s-see you over there in the dark!" screamed a broken raspy voice from the other side of the room. My head snapped up for me to notice a bear shadow move across the wall beside me. Flashlight, I thought, and fumbled with my Hand-device for the button, pressing a different one instead.

"Calm down, and go back to sleep! No one is here!"

The tiny sing-song voice rang out of the speakers. The bear shadow left.

"Huh. Whatever I did, it worked," I whispered, then went back to restoring the power.

"I-I know you're over there somewhere!" I jerked back. Partially hidden by stray wires, the purple-and-white bear's head clicked as it turned back and forth searching for me. I played the little voice again.

"Oh, calm down, I think it was just a mouse." The bear walked to the far end of the room, where I presume his stage was. I took a breath and got back to work. It took forever, but I managed to fend off the animatronic bear and restore the power in the building.

"Phew," I sighed and leaned against the wall. "All done." I turned back to the exit and groaned.

_Aw, man. Ballora Gallery._

"Great job," Hand-Unit told me. "This completes your tasks for the night. Please proceed back through the Ballora Gallery with care, and we'll see you back here tomorrow!"

"Good-" I started, grasping the doorknob, but stopped when I felt hot breath down my back. "-bye..."

"And just where do you th-think you're going?" I turned to face Funtime Freddy, who was grinning maniacally at my presence. I opened my mouth to reply, 'home', but no words came out of my mouth.

"Hey, Bon-Bon!" called Freddy. "Say hello to the birthday boy!" The blue rabbit attached to his hand opened its eyes and locked them on me before waving its tiny hand. I whirled around, trying to open the door, but Freddy grabbed my shirt and threw me across the room. I heard a loud clank as my body slammed into a metal pole. I clutched my head and blinked away tears to notice a blurry Freddy advancing closer.

"Hey, Bon-Bon, whaddya say we g-give the birthday boy his surpr-prise?"

"Please, don't! It's not even my birthday!" I cried, raising my hands in front of my face. Then the footsteps stopped. I opened my eyes. Freddy stood there, a puzzled look on his face.

"It's n-not your birthd-day?" he asked, his head twitching. I shook my head so hard it hurt. The bear blinked profusely. "Not y-y-your birthday?" He stepped back, staring at me as if I could bite his head off, then walked back to his stage. I pulled myself to my feet, wincing at my throbbing head.

_Finally, I can-_

I face-palmed when I remembered what I was stepping into. After taking a minute to compose myself, I dropped to my belly and began my crawl. I didn't hear Ballora's music. The quiet only made things worse. I chewed faster on my now-bland gum.

"I can hear someone creeping through my room."

I stopped- crawling, chewing, and breathing. After minutes, I heard a tiny, "Perhaps not..."

_Damn right._

She didn't bother me for the rest of the night.

01101101 01101111 01110100 01101000 01100101 01110010

I fixed popcorn and watched the second episode of The Immortal and The Restless as soon as I got home.

"When will these two ships passing in the night rekindle their long lost love? Tune in tomorrow to find out!" the announcer on TV declared before the tape cut. I turned off the TV and sighed.

_I wish Sasha and I would rekindle our long-lost love._

I would have started crying if it weren't for the sudden creak of the fridge door opening.

_Father's not home_ , I thought as I bolted to my feet. After seconds of silence, I frowned. _I'm just being paranoid._ My butt was four inches from the couch when I heard a clink. _Okay, I heard that._ I whirled around and tried to see who or what was there from the living room. The fridge was open but other than that, the kitchen seemed fine.

"Must have drifted open by itself," I concluded before stepping into the kitchen and screaming.

Two naked robot babies turned their heads and mimicked my scream. I grabbed the broom and held it up like a staff.

"Get out of here!" I cried. I felt a sharp pain in my toe and looked down to see a robobaby munching it. I yelped and kicked it off, only to lose my balance and hit my back on the tiled floor. The baby crawled onto my chest and stared into my eyes, snapping its jaws.

"We found your house," it whispered.

"I can see that," I grumbled, then picked up the baby and threw it to the rest of its pals. I hopped to my feet and closed the fridge. "Why are you here?" The three babies gathered at my feet.

"We aren't here to kill you," replied one, sounding a bit annoyed, "if that's what you're thinking."

"She sent us here to watch you," said another. I stepped back. "Who? Ballora?" The babies glanced at one another. The doorbell made all of us jump.

"Who the heck is it at this hour?" I muttered as I opened the door. There was Holly, chewing a piece of her long hair.

"So, you might be wondering why I'm here right now..." she said, holding a smile on her face. I resisted an urge to slam the door shut and sighed.

"Now isn't the best time-" I began, but the sound of a pot clattering against the kitchen floor shut me up. _What are they doing in there?_ Holly's face twisted.

"Who's that?" she bellowed. I opened my mouth then shut it. _How do I explain this?_

"For your information, I am still single. Just let me uh, take care of this real quick." I slunk back into the kitchen, ignoring Holly's evil glare.

"What are you guys doing?" I tore a pot off a baby's face and did a headcount. One was missing. "Where's your sister?" The other two pointed at the living room.

"No!" I screeched, realising how much fragile things could be broken and zooming in there. The last baby was pulling the tape out of one of my movies and shoving it in its mouth. I snatched it away and winced at the damage, then glared at the baby. "Why you little-"

"What's going on here?" Holly asked from the living room doorway. I whirled, holding the robobaby behind my back.

"Nothing, Holly!" I said quickly. "But you need to leave. Don't you think it's too late to talk- OW!" I dropped the baby and put my finger in my mouth, tasting blood. Holly screamed. "What is that?!" I glanced at the damn robot baby crawling past my toes. "That's... my dog." Holly didn't take her eyes off it. "What kind of dog is that?"

"It's, uh... I don't know." Her face now devoid of fear, Holly watched my 'dog' tip over my popcorn bowl and stick a popcorn morsel into its mouth.

"Holly, please, just- just come back tomorrow. Okay?" I tried, hoping she'd accept my answer. She simpered.

"Sure thing, Mikey!" She leaned over and pat the popcorn-munching baby on the head. "You are kinda cute in a creepy way." She blew a goodbye kiss before leaving. I gladly shut the door behind her and returned to the living room, where all three babies chewed and spit out the spilt popcorn.

"I guess I own three little dogs now," I sighed, shaking my head.


	5. Funtime Foxy Punches Really Hard...

My eyes fluttered open and took a second to notice two big blue eyes blocking my vision. A loud screech sounded and I screamed. The Bidybab hopped off me, joining its sisters next to the couch.

"We have been watching you sleep," proudly announced one. Rubbing my ears to stop the ringing, I groaned. _Forgot about you guys._ I sat up and a thought hit me like a train.

"I fell asleep on the couch," I realised, "and left three robot babies that act like real babies alone and unsupervised?" The babies nodded in unison. I swung my legs to the floor, running my fingers through my hair and sighing. "You broke everything of value to me, didn't you?" The Bidybabs cocked their heads. I noticed a VHS tape lying on the floor.

"This was the one you broke. But now it's fixed?" I observed, turning it over in my hands. One baby nodded. I eyed the rest of the house while the Bidybabs trailed me. _Nothing's broken_ \- I stepped into the kitchen and had to keep a foot suspended in the air to avoid stepping on glass. "Aw, man! You broke one of Father's drinks!" Shaking my head, I picked up the broom and swept up the shards.

"If you guys are going to stay here, we're gonna need to set some ground rules."

The Babs climbed on top of the counter island and sat in a neat row, waiting for me to speak.

"Okay, um..."

_That's weird. They're actually listening._

"First, please don't touch anything that isn't yours." One of the babies glanced at the counter they were sitting on. I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You can touch the counter. And the floor. And the couch. Nothing else." The babies wouldn't take their eyes off my wagging finger. "Second, no biting!" They chattered their teeth in response. I tapped my lips, thinking of anything else. "That's uh, pretty much it." The Bidybabs hopped off the counter.

"We have found something for you," one said, then motioned for me to follow. The Bidybabs led me to my room. I chuckled.

"Oh, that's cute, but I know this is my- my-" I choked on my words when I saw the tiny bear plushie sitting on my pillow. My eyes couldn't look away from the plush's beady ones. I approached it as if going quickly would make it pounce. My heart racing, I picked up the bear. "Why do I feel so..." I couldn't find the right words. A word scrambled about my brain: **Fredbear.**

An exploding pain shot through my head- like millions of tiny needles stabbing deep into my skull. I screamed and fell to the floor, clutching my head. I squeezed the fur of the plushie so hard my knuckles were turning white. Colourful spots clouded my vision- I shut my eyes but they remained. My teeth gritted, I squinted through the spots and forced myself to get off the floor. I crawled onto my bed and let tears stream into my ears as I waited for the throbbing to fade.

"Remember," I heard a Bidybab say, and opened my eyes to see it sitting next to me. It slapped its metal hand on my face and an image of four animal masks flashed before my eyes. _The masks all watched me suffer, smiling at my pain. Their eyes were black and their teeth were dripping with blood. They gripped me, refusing to let go despite my struggling-_

I sat up and wiped my nose.

"What just- I don't- how- what- the hell-" I faltered, staring at the blood on my hand. I looked around the room for the bear, but it was gone.

"We took it away," the Bidybab knew what was bothering me.

"What if I find it and I- that happens again and- that hurt so bad- please, get rid of it!" I babbled hysterically, gripping chunks of my hair. _You're acting crazy!_ I took a moment to focus on my breathing. _Inhale, exhale._ I opened the nightstand drawer and took a handful of bubble gum to shove into my mouth. _Slow chews._

"Why did that happen?" I asked, turning to the Bidybabs, who were all sitting next to me on the bed. They didn't answer me. "That bear, I know- remember- it's mine. Or used to be." The more I thought about it, the more my head throbbed. I pushed the memory away. "Doesn't matter. It's over now." I stepped into the hallway and felt a tug on my leg.

"What?" I looked down at the Bab and said. It pointed to the other side of the house, beyond my room. My eyes narrowed as I stood in the other hallway. _I forgot about this side of the house._

 _"_ I don't go down there," I said quickly and walked away to get the strange feeling out of my stomach. "Why?" asked the Bidybabs.

"Because..." Down there was my big brother's room. We hadn't spoken since he moved. There was another room, but Father refused to let anyone, even himself, inside. Until now, never did I wonder why. _Was that room my sister's?_ My head ached at the thought of finding something with my past embedded in it.

"Because I have no reason to go down there." I went to the living room and plopped onto the couch. The Bidybabs joined me.

"What do you do all day?"

I shrugged. "Watch TV, play some video games. Cry over dead relationships. That's it, really." I thought about what I would be doing if I wasn't single. My eyes lowered to the floor. "I'm very lonely."

 _Lonely_ , my brain repeated.

I caught myself drifting into another sad episode and straightened my spine.

"You know what?" An excuse to leave the house popped in my head and I stood up. "How about I go shopping?" I yanked on some jeans and sneakers and grabbed my wallet.

"Be good," I called to the Bidybabs before walking out the door.

01100010 01100001 01100100 00100000 01101001 01100100 01100101 01100001

Since Father had the car, I had no choice but to walk. I didn't mind it, however- the fresh air took my mind off my troubles. I stepped inside a nearly vacant supermarket, reading over the list in my head.

_Bread, milk, cereal, pizza pockets._

The shopping cart I chose screeched like a cat in an exhaust pipe every time I pushed it. I didn't bother switching- all the carts had some unlikeable defect. Having grabbed every item except one, I rolled to the freezer aisle for the pizza pockets. On my way there, my peripheral vision caught a two-foot robot child standing on top of a shelf in the girl's clothing section. I whirled, thinking it was just my mind playing tricks. It wasn't. A Bidybab spun around in a frilly pink dress. I hurried over there, first glimpsing over my shoulder for any bystanders.

"What are you doing here?" I whispered sharply. I couldn't tell if the Bidybab smiled or bared its teeth.

"We followed you here," it said, then pointed to its outfit. "I look like a human, like you." I opened my mouth to scold the robot when I realised there was only one.

"Where are your sisters?" I didn't notice how much I sounded like a worried parent then.

"It's not my job to look after the others," it snapped. I inspected the area for the other two, feeling my heart race more and more. _What if someone found them? What if they got damaged?_ I gripped my hair.

"Help me find them," I said to the one Bab, sounding desperate. It closed its eyes for a moment, perhaps thinking, then nodded. We scoured the area for two robobabies. It didn't take long to find them- one was in the freezer aisle chewing open a bag of peas, and the other was in the baby clothes section trying on boots. I swiped them up and put them in my shopping cart.

"Okay, listen," I grabbed their attention to stop them from trying to climb out, "you cannot just roam about here- this isn't Circus Baby's. You have to stay close to me. Got it?" The Bidybabs glanced at each other before nodding.

"Good," I muttered, rolling my eyes. "I don't want to have to pay for you if you end up damaged-"

"Hello, stupid!" All hairs on my arm stood up. _You really had to show up now?_

"Hi, Mabel," I greeted, trying my best to mask the annoyance in my voice. I stood in front of my shopping cart, blocking the Bidybabs from her view. Mabel eyed me up and down.

"Why are you buying baby clothes, Mikey, is there something I should know? Because I'm your best friend and I should know _everything_ ," she jabbered with energetic hand motions. "Is there? Is there?"

"No," I said. Mabel squinted, obviously not believing me. "Really?" She peered around me, noticing the Babs sitting in my cart, and grinned. I bit my fingernail, knowing what she was thinking.

"Are those baby dolls in-" she began to giggle but I covered her mouth. I felt her cheeks grow warm underneath and I tore my hand away.

"They are-"

_She wouldn't believe me if I said dogs. I trust her with the truth._

"They are robot baby dolls. I got them from work." Mabel let out an enthusiastic gasp. "Wow! They're so cute!" Her smile shrank for a second. "Did your dad make them?"

"I dunno, probably," I said after a pause. Mabel reached into the cart to boop a Bab's nose but jerked back when it snapped its jaws.

"Little meanie," she murmured, flickering her tongue, then said to me, "Do they have names?" My mouth hung ajar. "Uh... sure- sure they do!" One of the Bidybabs raised an eyebrow. I tapped the boots-wearing one's plastic head. "This is... Biddy."

 _How creative_ , my brain commented bitterly.

I touched the next one's nose, moving my finger before it could bite me. "This is Bitey. And this-" I couldn't help but smile at how cute the last one looked in its little dress. "This is Chelsea." Mabel beamed and I found myself doing the same.

"Do you get to keep them?" she asked. I rocked on my heels, sucking my teeth. "Well, technically, they, uh, they came to me and since I haven't returned them, I technically stole them and-" I realised just how dangerous the situation was and swallowed. "-I might just lose my job if I don't return them." I snapped my attention back to Mabel. "So, no, I don't get to keep them."

"Aw, that's too bad," she hummed, looking at the creatures, "you three are super cute." She opened her mouth to add something else but I saw hesitation contort her face.

"Um, what are you doing here, Mabel?" I changed the subject. I couldn't see a cart around her.

"I came to purchase some art supplies since they're on sale," she replied, pulling the strings on her hoodie, "but then I saw you over here and I just had to say hi!" She cleared her throat. "What about you?"

"Just getting some food for the house. Father doesn't go shopping." I thinned my lips and Mabel laughed.

"Okay." She paused, creating an awkward silence as usual. "You're still going with me to the Summer Festival tomorrow, right?" Her bottom lip jutted out.

"What time?" I asked.

"I don't know. 8ish?"

 _I don't have to be at work until ten_ , I noted. "That'll work."

"Great!" she shrilled. My body tensed up when she threw her arms around me. _She smells good today- stop thinking weird, Michael._ After an eternity, she let go of me.

"Anyway, see you later, stupid!" she said, giving me a punch on the shoulder. _Ow._

"See you later. Stupid," I returned the greeting, then watched her dart away.

"Why are you staring at her butt?" I scowled at the Bidybabs, not knowing which one made the statement. "I wasn't- I mean, well, yeah- I can't help- ugh." My hands flew my ears so they wouldn't see them redden.

"She's just a friend!" I declared, to myself and the Babs. Their eyes narrowed like they didn't believe me. I shoved the cart out of the clothing section, muttering, "Whatever."

01110010 01100101 01101101 01100101 01101101 01100010 01100101 01110010

I didn't have enough money to pay for the clothes and the food. I tried to take the clothes off the Bidybabs, but they hissed and bit my hand. So I had to sacrifice the pizza pockets. For some damn plastic.

Back in the elevator for the third time, I chewed my gum and waited for Hand-Unit to speak. This time, I was accompanied by my three Bidybabs. Chelsea gripped my shirt as she hung on my back, while the others stood at my feet. I planned to take them back, but a small part of me liked not being alone and wanted to keep them.

"Welcome back to another pivotal night of your thriving new career," said Hand-Unit, "where you get to really ask yourself: what am I doing with my life? What would my friends say, and most importantly, will I ever see my family again? We understand the stresses of a new job, and we're here for you."

"Thank you," I said, though raising an eyebrow.

"You're welcome. To help you reach a more stable and relaxing frame of mind, we offer several musical selections to help make this elevator ride as relaxing and therapeutic as possible. We offer contemporary jazz, classical rainforest ambience as well as a wide selection of other choices." My eyes lit up. "Music? Uh... Romantics! No, wait-"

"Using the keypad below, please type the first few letters of the musical selection you would prefer." The still broken tablet popped out of the wall.

"Aw, man," I whined, "can't a guy listen to his jams?" I pressed random buttons. _Please be something good._

"It seems you had some trouble with-"

"Yeah, yeah, just do whatever."

"I see what you were trying to type, and I will auto-correct it for you."

_Please be something good. A pop song, at least._

"Thank you for selecting: Casual Bongos."

"Casual-" The music was indeed as the title suggested- a calm repetitive beat made from bongos. I frowned as the tablet went away.

"Someone really needs to fix that," I muttered. As I rode the elevator, the music actually grew to be catchy. I caught myself tapping my feet twice.

"Now that your elevator experience has been customized to your needs, and you're thoroughly relaxed, it's worth mentioning that due to your lacklustre performance yesterday, your pay has been decreased by a substantial amount."

"Wait, what?" I exclaimed, raising my arms. "For what?"

"Failure to comply with company rules set to ensure the safety and satisfaction of our employees, i.e., talking to active animatronics, not following clear instructions, and stealing company property." I groaned, looking down at Biddy and Bitey standing next to me. _I did do all of that, didn't I?_

"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't know about all the-" I stopped as a thought crossed my mind. _I did all that because of the robots._ My eyes narrowed. _Are they trying to sabotage me?_ Chelsea grasped my hair, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Please enjoy the rest of your descent," my robotic guide told me. I let my back fall against the wall, sighing, "Okay."

_Just focus on the tasks._

The elevator halted and so did the catchy bongo music. I opened the door.

"Alright, let's-" I began but stopped when I noticed my Bidybabs crawling out of the elevator and disappearing into the darkness.

"Hey! Where are you guys going?" I called. Biddy's head turned without her body. "We're going back." I swallowed, pushing away the lonely feeling that crept up in my gut. _I can't stop them, can I?_

"Okay," I mumbled, crouching into the vent. _I already miss the little guys._ My knees were adjusted to the pain at this point.

"Due to unforeseen malfunctions from today's shows, your nightly duties will require you to perform maintenance that you may or may not be skilled enough to perform." My heart jolted at that.

"I finally get to fix a robot?" I guessed. If he'd said that two days ago, I would have been excited. I just felt cold.

"Yes," Hand-Unit replied, sounding annoyed, then explained, "It became necessary for technicians to attempt to disconnect Funtime Freddy's power module. However, they were unsuccessful. Allowing them to try again would be an inefficient path forward, as we would need to allow six to eight weeks for recovery and physical therapy. You will need to reach the Parts and Service room on the other side of Funtime Auditorium to perform the procedure yourself."

"What kind of procedure?" I asked, hunching my shoulders. Hand-Unit didn't respond until I was in the Primary Control Module.

"Let's check on Ballora first, and make sure she's on her stage." I pressed the button for the light, hoping it would work this time. The light flickered on and revealed Ballora on her stage. _Wait, she's not there!_ Her mini ballerinas held up her outer shell, trying to create the illusion that Ballora is there. I felt my breath quicken. _Where is she then?_

"Great! It looks like everything is as it should be in Ballora Gallery," Hand-Unit said.

"N-no, it's not-" I shot only for him to continue. "Let's check on Funtime Foxy. It's important to make sure she's on her stage before entering." I stared at the button, hesitating to press it. _He's not going to be there, is he?_ I turned on the light.

"Woah!" I exclaimed, jumping back and tripping on my own feet. The mechanical fox flailed in front of the window, fighting off a horde of Bidybabs. I hopped up and watched the robots tussle. My three Babs pulled Funtime Foxy by the legs, trying to move him away from the window, I presume. I turned off the light just as I noticed a pattern of cracks in the glass- like some had tried to break through.

_The Bidybabs are trying to protect me?_

"Great! It looks like everything is as it should be in Funtime Auditorium."

"Dude, there's a fight going on!" I said though knowing how useless my words were to the guide.

"There is no need to check on Baby tonight; please refrain from entering unauthorized areas. Proceed directly to Funtime Auditorium." Both Baby's and Foxy's vents opened. I considered going the wrong way but remembered how many rules I'd already broken.

"I can't break any more rules," I thought aloud, then went into Funtime Auditorium. Not unlike Ballora Gallery, the room was pitch-black.

"Unlike Ballora, Funtime Foxy is motion-activated," explained Hand-Unit. "For this reason, it's important to keep the room dark, as to not accidentally activate her. You have been provided with a flash beacon. Use it if you need to get your bearings and to ensure you don't bump into anything. However, use it as sparingly as possible. Proceed forward to reach the Parts and Service room."

I stood there, my legs stiff. My finger hovered over the flash beacon button on my glove. _What if he's right in front of me?_ Despite my fear, I activated the flash beacon. I only had a few milliseconds to scan my surroundings. Foxy was on his stage on all floors, appearing to be deactivated. _Okay. He's not active._ I stepped forward, using all my willpower to keep my breathing quiet. After about ten seconds, I flashed the light again. Instead of Foxy, a pile of damaged Bidybabs sat on stage. My stomach wrenched. _Not my new friends!_ I continued through the darkness, moving faster. I heard shuffling and stopped. **Flash**. I caught pink-and-white a few feet away. Foxy was turned to the wall, shaking his head back and forth.

_He's looking for me._

I took a few more steps. **Flash**. I heard a growl and froze in place. _Where is he?_ The shuffling sounded right in front of me. My legs continued without my brain telling them to. **Flash**. He was right in front of me, his head spasming and his eyes locked onto mine. I screamed and zoomed past him, only to trip on a tiny body and hit my head on the floor.

"Ow!" I cried, then hit the flash button to see Foxy pouncing on me. I coughed as his metal chest knocked the wind out of my lungs. I turned on the flashlight, attempting to blind him, but he growled and opened his faceplates to reveal his shiny endoskeleton underneath. My scream came out as a wheeze. Foxy's eyes rolled to the back of his head.

"YOU SHOULDN'T HAVE COME BACK HERE, AFTON!" screeched the fox, his voice sounding as if he were speaking through a megaphone. I stared at the glimmering rows of sharp teeth in my face and felt like I was going to throw up. Closing my eyes, I waited for him to bite my face. I heard a crash before the pressure on my chest lifted. I opened my eyes. _I'm alive._ The broken Bidybabs had Funtime Foxy pinned down next to me. Bitey munched on his ear while Biddy tugged his jaw.

"Run, Michael!" shouted Chelsea right before Foxy threw her across the room. I scrambled to my feet and ran for the exit, ignoring the sounds of metal crunching behind me.

"I WILL BE READY FOR YOU WHEN YOU RETURN!"

I shut the door, my entire body heaving with adrenaline. Tears rolled down my cheeks.

"I don't want to be here anymore," I whimpered, hugging my aching body.

"Great job reaching Parts and Service!" Hand-Unit said. I scowled at the device. _You are no help!_ In front of me sat Funtime Freddy on a conveyor belt. Both he and his hand puppet remained motionless. I burned lasers into his blank eyes.

_If you attack me, I'm quitting this damn job. Assuming I survive._

"It seems that Funtime Freddy is out of power, which should make your job much easier. The release switch for the chest cavity is located on the underside of the endoskeleton jaw. To reach it, we will first need to open the faceplates."

"Faceplates," I mouthed, then swallowed, my stomach still twisted. "Okay."

"You will need to press the face-plate release triggers in a specific order, and it's important to be as precise and as careful as possible." I nodded. _Just get it over with._

"Locate the small button on Freddy's face, just under his right cheek, and press it." I pressed the button.

"For clarification, please note that I am referring to Freddy's right, not your right," Hand-Unit said.

"Oh," I mumbled, pressing the right button.

"Great! Now locate the button under his left cheek, and press it." I followed his instructions, pressing very button carefully. Freddy's faceplates snapped open.

"Shit!" I shrieked, a shrill sound, and fell on my butt for the umpteenth time.

"Good job!" cheered Handy. "The face-plates should now be open. Locate and press the small button on the underside of Freddy's endoskeleton jaw." I stood up, wiping my jeans, then pressed the button. With a hiss, Freddy's chest plate slid to the side. A tiny disc blinked inside.

"Excellent. The chest cavity should now be open. Remove the power module from the chest cavity." I picked up the disc. "You mean this?"

"Great work. You will now be required to remove the secondary power module from the Bonnie hand-puppet. Press the large black button beneath Bonnie's bow-tie to release the power module."

"Okay," I said, then my blood ran cold. _Where's the puppet?!_ I heard scurrying behind me and whirled around, catching a flash of blue. I flinched. _Something touched me!_ I turned around again. Bon-Bon was sitting on the conveyor belt with a pack of _my_ chewing gum in his mouth.

"No!" I cried and lunged forward to grab it. Bon-Bon hopped off the belt and between my legs. I tried to grab him again, grasping air again. "Come back here!" I watched him bounce around the room, seething with anger.

 _I just have to wait for the right moment_ , I realised. I stood still; listened to the little robot hopping around. It climbed on top of Freddy's top hat, still holding my gum, and watched me doing nothing. Then it leapt toward my face with a high-pitched scream. I caught it mid-air and pressed the black button beneath his bowtie. The rascal powered off. I snatched my gum back and popped a strip in my mouth.

"Great job!" Hand-Unit said. "You've acquired both power modules. This completes your tasks for the night. Please exit the building through Funtime Auditorium, and we'll see you back here again tomorrow." I turned to the exit, feeling dizzy.

"There isn't another way?" I asked. Hand-Unit repeated his words, "Please exit the building through Funtime Auditorium." My fingers wrapped around the doorknob but didn't turn it. I felt like I was about to open a portal into Hell.

"I don't have a choice," I croaked. I opened the door and stepped inside. **Flash**. The devil stood on his stage, deactivated. I made a run for it. _Go, go, go!_ **Flash**. I heard double footsteps. _He's coming! Don't stop!_ Again, my feet collided with a tiny body. I caught myself on my hand but accidentally set off the flash beacon about five times. I'd tripped over a dead Bidybab.

"THERE YOU ARE!" shouted Funtime Foxy. "RIGHT ON TIME!" I felt hot tears on my face again. _Get up!_ Trembling, I got to my feet and turned on my flashlight. The fox roared in my face. I pivoted, then smacked right into the wall. Cold hands gripped my arms and turned my body around. Hyperventilating, I stared into Foxy's golden eyes.

_Please don't kill me._

I spat my gum into his left eye. Foxy howled, glaring at me like I was the evilest creature on Earth, then swung his fists into my face. I couldn't move my body; couldn't even breathe. He struck me over and over. The burning pain swelled up my face before dulling into a faraway tingle. Blood and spit dripped onto my shirt each time he hit me.

"AND NOW, THE FINAL BLOW!" announced Funtime Foxy, raising a fist.

_Please don't-_

A crack echoed through the room as he slammed his fist into my jaw.

"K.O.!" was the last thing I heard before blacking out.


	6. That Hurt :(

_I saw the car in the driveway and couldn't breathe. He's here. The pitch-blackness of the night and the cold rain pelting my face made it hard to see which way the back door was. I turned the slippery doorknob, glancing over my shoulder multiple times as if meeting eyes with him would stop what he'd do if he caught me. I slipped into a dim hallway, my shoes creating little squeaks on the wooden floor._

_"WHERE IS HE?!"_

_I wanted to collapse and die right then and there. It wouldn't be the worst thing that could happen. My legs forced me to duck into the nearest room. I flicked the dripping hair out of my face to frantically search for a place to hide here. I shrank in the tiny space between the bed and the nightstand. My heart was beating so dang loud I couldn't listen for footsteps._

_"COME HERE YOU LITTLE BRAT!"_

_I had to move. I looked to the closet doors, then hesitated. If he caught me in there, there'd be nowhere to run. I snatched Fredbear off my bed, tucked him under my arm, and took the door out of my room into the second hallway. As I pushed the door shut, I heard the other door burst open._

_"YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE!"_

_I raced into the bathroom. Bad idea. My feet slid out from under me as soon as I entered and the side of my body smacked the tile. I groaned an "ow" then clamped a hand over my mouth._

_"I KNOW YOU'RE IN THERE!"_

_I darted into the next room and tripped over old barbie dolls. I tried to stand, only to be yanked to my feet, only to hit the ground again after a blinding blow to the face. I squinted through a blur and saw a faceless purple figure reach for me. The wall slapped and pressed against my back. I saw yellow teeth growl in my face; the thick, foul yet sweet smell suffocated me._

_"This is what happens to bad little boys."_

_My body refused to move, despite my brain screaming to run. Stings and throbs developed all over my body- my face, my arms, my legs, my chest. After seconds, the pain began to melt into a scalding heat. My best friend reached out to me- I could barely see him through the spots of colour flashing before my vision._

_"Remember," he whispered._

01110010 01100101 01101101 01100101 01101101 01100010 01100101 01110010

I opened my eyes and saw nothing but black. My mind still in a daze, I tried to blink away the darkness.

 _Where am I?_ My brow furrowed as I tried to recall. A distant throbbing in my head made it nearly impossible to think straight.

_Work... I was at work. I was... Funtime- Funtime Foxy. He- I got knocked out._

Every inch of my face ached. My breathing was loud and hot. I attempted to stand but pieces of metal jabbed my sides.

"What is this?" I cried out, my voice sounding loud and muffled. "Where am I?" I lifted my heavy head and felt something slice my forehead. Fear rose up my gut like bile in the back of my throat. My breath quickened at an alarming rate as I realised I was stuck.

 _I'm trapped, I'm trapped, I'm going to die_ , panicked my brain.

A soft female voice broke the silence. "Shh. Be still and quiet."

"Circus Baby," I breathed, recognizing her voice instantly. _Is she here? Did she do this to me?_

"You've been sleeping for quite a while," she said. "I think they noticed that you never left the building last night. The cameras were searching for you, but they couldn't find you. I have you hidden too well." The next words she uttered sent shivers down my spine.

" _I kidnapped you._ "

My breath picked up again.

"Why? What is this? I can't move! What are you- AH!" I rattled on, stopping to grimace when my ribcage tightened.

"Don't be afraid," reassured Baby, "I'm not going to hurt you. I am only going to keep you for a little while." I swallowed, my throat dry.

"What am I inside of right now?" I rasped.

"You're inside something that came from my old pizzeria." She paused before adding quietly, "I don't think it was ever used- at least, not in the way it was meant to be used. Too dangerous. It's just big enough for one person to fit inside. but just barely."

"Why did you put me here? Where am I?" I spewed questions at her.

"You're in the Scooping Room. Do you know why they call it the 'Scooping Room'?"

"No," I said after thinking about it. "No, I don't." _For ice cream, maybe?_

"It's because, _dummy_ ," Baby snapped with a cold edge in her tone, "this is the room where they use the Scooper. I thought that would be obvious." I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say. _What does she want from me?_

"Isn't that a fun name for something?" she continued. "The Scooper. It sounds like something you would use for ice cream, or custard, or sprinkles."

"How do I-" I started, but Baby interjected, "It sounds like something you would want at your birthday party to ensure you get a heaping portion of _every good thing_." She paused. "I wonder, though, if you were a freshly opened pint of ice cream, how you would feel about something with that name." I winced, feeling a swirling pain in my forehead. "I don't know."

"Thankfully, I don't think a freshly opened pint of ice cream feels anything at all."

"How much longer-"

"Uh-oh, it sounds like someone else is in the building. Shh!"

_Someone else? They can help me!_

"Hello?" I croaked, my voice not carrying the strength to be heard. I tried again, louder. "Hello?"

"Shh!" Baby repeated. I didn't want to listen to her. My head hurt too much and freedom was too enticing. But I heard the voices, deep and masculine, and shut up to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Okay, bring her over. Forward. More. Mooooore- okay stop. Set her down. Watch the step."

"What happened to it this time? It just seems these things can't go a day without breaking down."

"Who knows," the first guy sighed. "It's always the same, man. Some kinda hardware malfunction."

"Well, like, I have to be somewhere in 15 minutes, and this place gives me the creeps. Can we just get this over with?"

"It's all automated- we don't have to be here for it. Just get her on the rollers, and we can go." A thunk sounded, bouncing off the walls. I heard footsteps leaving and felt my heart drop.

"Wait!" I screamed at the best of my ability. "Please! Help me! I'm trapped! This- suit-thing hurts and I'm really claustrophobic-" The footsteps were gone. I took a shuddery breath, tears burning my eyes. A clank caused me to jolt in the suit which tightened around me as a result. I bit my lip, tasting blood there. A conveyor belt buzzed to life. It brought something past me and I peered through the darkness to see what it was. My breath got stuck in my throat.

_Ballora._

**Beep. Beep. Beep.** An alarm rang in my ears. I jerked back as what appeared to be a shovel clashed against Ballora's midsection. Her skin cracked apart, revealing her endoskeleton. Another hit and her faceplates split and hung beside her. I found myself wincing. _They're breaking her._ Purple eyes shifted and locked onto me. I watched, waiting for her to move.

"There is something very important that I've learned to do over time. Do you know what this is?" Circus Baby suddenly speaking nearly made me pee my pants. She didn't wait for me to reply. "How to pretend. Do you ever play make-believe? Pretend to be one way, when you are really the other? It's very important. Ballora never learns, but I do. They think there is something wrong on the inside." Her voice lowered to a whisper. "The only thing that matters is knowing... how... to... _pretend_." I could barely hear the last word.

"I'll open the faceplates for you," she said in a normal volume, "that way they can find you on the cameras." With the suit's faceplates open, I could see and breathe now.

"Now all you have to do is wait."

"Wait for them to find me?" I asked. _The guys or Ballora?_

"I'd recommend that you keep the springlocks wound up," Baby replied, grazing over my question, "your breathing and your heartbeat are causing them to come loose. You don't want them to get too loose, trust me. So calm down. Take deep but shallow breaths."

"Okay," I said and did as she instructed. "Okay."

"Good."

Circus Baby didn't speak again, leaving me alone in the darkness with a broken Ballora. Sleep deprivation crept up in the back of my head, slowly dragging me away.

"Can't fall asleep yet," I mumbled. I moved my leg so it would wake up, bumping what sounded like a metal rod in the process. _What's that?_ I shuffled my foot around until the rod was beneath it, then slid up my legs to push it toward me. _Got it._ I held the object up to my face to examine it- it was a rusty handcrank.

"This must go to the suit," I whispered. I didn't wonder where I got that assumption, only fumbled with the handcrank until I managed to insert it into a slot on the side of the suit. I began to turn the crank and the pressure squeezing my torso lifted. I opened my mouth to sigh in relief before noticing a slender figure crawling up my arm. While shouting jumbled words, I flung the Minireena off. My sudden movement tightened the springlocks. I wound them back up, only to find a Minireena on my other arm.

"Get off me!"

The process repeated over and over- a Minireena would crawl up my arm, I'd shake it off then re-crank the springlocks. Every time, however, more and more would show up, making it more difficult. Screeching, they latched onto my face and blocked my vision- I'd pick them off but while in the process of doing so the others would grab the handcrank and turn it the wrong way.

"Get out!" I hollered as the Minireenas slithered in the thin space between the suit and my body. They agitated the springlocks the more they crawled around. Grimacing, I turned the hand-crank against them. A Minireena pulled my lip to distract me but I ignored it.

After what seemed like an eternity, the Minireenas scattered when footsteps sounded from across the room. My eyes widened and my body's aching went on pause.

"HEY!" I shouted with every drop of energy I had left. "OVER HERE!" I saw movement in the dark and nearly choked with excitement. A flashlight ray blinded me. Two men stood in front of me- I couldn't make out their faces on account of how dark it was.

"Hey, what are you doing in there?"

"Thank God!" I exclaimed, then spat out an explanation, "I- the robots, they- they attacked me and I passed out and-and woke up in this suit!" The men paused.

"You do look effed up."

"You weren't drinking on the job, were you?"

"No! I don't- I wasn't- it was the robots!" I protested. "Please just help me get out of this!"

"Okay, okay. Uh... how exactly do we do that?"

"Turn the handcrank to loosen the springlocks," I directed. I felt one of their hands brush past mine to grasp the handcrank. "Okay."

"I'm just gonna pull it over your head, okay?" one of the guys said. I nodded then, thinking about what he said, shook my head. "No, wait, don't-" The guys yanked the springlock suit torso off me and threw it away. A second later, snaps and crackles like fireworks reverberated from the suit as the springlocks gave in. If he hadn't been so fast, I would have lost my head or at least my hair.

"Are you okay?" asked one of the guys, grabbing my hand and helping me to my feet. My knees buckling, I leaned against the wall. Sleep caught up to me like a slap in the face.

"I... think so," I said, then mumbled, "I'm just so tired..." I clutched my stomach as it pretzeled. I couldn't bring my hands up fast enough to stop the puke from shooting out of my mouth. The guys screamed, jumping back.

"He just blew chunks on my uniform!"

I felt my body sliding down and couldn't muster any energy to stop it.

"I'm... sorry, sir, I don't... know what..." I heard myself slur before conking out again.

01010010 01000101 01001101 01000101 01001101 01000010 01000101 01010010

_We're moving_ , my brain told me when I woke up. I squinted through blurs. _I'm in the backseat of somebody's car?_ At that thought, I snapped upright. The world tilted sideways.

"Where am I?" I said my thoughts out loud. _I'm being kidnapped right now._ "Where are you taking me?" The two men that had saved me earlier turned their heads to the backseat.

"To the hospital," said the one in the passenger seat, combing a frizzy goatee. My head throbbed at the sharp antiseptic smell suddenly shooting up my nose.

_I could sense everything- touching, prodding, talking, pricking, beeping, screaming, crying-_

"No!"

The guys blinked. "Why not? You're beat up real bad, dude."

"Please don't take me to the hospital," I said, whining like a stubborn child. I hugged myself and winced at the stabbing pain in my ribs. _I do need help._

"Fine," replied the driver, "we won't take you. But we are stopping at a gas station so you can wipe the blood off your face and Peter can clean the vomit off his shirt."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that-" I began, but Peter shook his head. "It's cool, dude. You weren't feeling okay. Besides, Bobby here has barfed on me twice when he was wasted." The driver- Bobby- shot Peter a glare. The word barf was making my stomach want to do it again.

"So are you guys technicians, too?" I changed the subject.

"Yeah," said Bobby. "We saw the ad in the magazine and dared each other to apply. I used to work security but they moved me to technician after some bad performance." He chuckled dryly. "It's not my fault the robots kept escaping." The car pulled into a gas station parking space. Peter turned in his seat to face me.

"Is your name really Eggs Benedict?" He pointed at my nametag with a small smirk on his face. I didn't have the energy to laugh. "No, the thing glitched out. I'm Mike- Mike Afton." Peter frowned at the name.

"Afton." He paused, a distant look on his face. "Are you that kid? The one that got attacked on his birthday by that broken animatronic?" I cocked my head. _Attacked?_ Every time I tried to recall my childhood, I got static. This time wasn't any different.

"I don't remember that far back," I said.

"The whole town talked about it. The Bite of '83, they called it." Bobby shook his head. "I didn't step foot in any Freddy's pizzeria after that."

"There was always something off with those animatronics," Peter said as he got out of the car. He opened the door for me.

I followed him into the convenience store bathroom. There, I got a good look at my busted-up face in the mirror. I had a black eye and bruises on my cheekbones. A recent cut on my forehead dripped blood. I lifted my torn uniform, revealing purple and red spots all over my midsection. Among the bruises, I noticed red lines in an even pattern. I traced them with my finger, cringing at the pain.

_Father had these lines, too._

"Damn," cursed Peter, looking at my injuries. "Looks worse in the light." He threw me a wet paper towel. I dabbed away the dried-up blood.

"You said the robots attacked you?" he asked. I nodded, poking my tender jaw. "Ow- Yeah. They want me dead."

"For serious? They never really attacked Bobby and me. Maybe it has something to do with you being an Afton." I raised an eyebrow.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Don't take it offensive, dude," Peter said quickly. "It's just that Aftons and robots don't mix. Everyone here in Hurricane knows that."

"There's a lot I don't know about my family, it seems," I thought aloud. I tossed the soiled towels into the trash bin and hung my head over the sink basin.

_Father won't tell me anything about my history._

"Hey, do you need us to take you home?" Peter asked. I shook my head, trying to be polite. "Thank you, but I'll walk."

"Hell no, you aren't," Peter huffed. "Not like that." He walked past me, brushing his beard. "If you don't have anybody to drive you, we will. You're, what, sixteen?"

"Nineteen," I mumbled, sticking my fingers in the belt loops on my jeans.

"Exactly," Peter declared. I rolled my eyes as I followed him back to the car.

01001100 01100001 01110100 01100101 00100000 01010011 01110101 01101101 01101101 01100101 01110010 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 00110001 00111001 00111000 00110011

I told the two technicians my house was near work and they dropped me off there. They refused to leave until I told them it was 1996 and that I was okay. It felt nice to have people care about your wellbeing.

I walked the quarter-mile back to the house. The cool summer air blew into the rips on my shirt and I wished I'd brought a jacket to work. Father's car was in the driveway. _I can ask him questions._

I went to my room, took off my ruined uniform, and scoured through my dresser for a new shirt.

"Where were you, Michael?" I turned to find Father standing in the doorway.

"Oh, so now all of a sudden you care," I muttered, then answered, "I was at your underground robot factory." He stared at my bruises and lacerations, looking more intrigued than concerned.

"Why are you messing around with springlock suits?" he asked. I wiggled into a previously-buttoned button-up.

"I should ask the same of you," I replied with a bitter edge. Father made an unreadable expression; his eyes drifted away as if reminiscing the incident. "That was an accident that happened a long time ago." He crossed his arms. "Now you answer my question." I narrowed my eyes.

"Your robots attacked me," I said despite not wanting to answer. "They knew me."

"They don't know you, they know me," Father said, frowning to himself.

"They thought I was you?"

He nodded. My tensed shoulders faltered. _He actually answered my question._ As he turned to leave, my face fell. _He didn't even ask if I was okay._

"Father?" I called. He didn't face me.

"What is it?"

"What's the Bite of '83?" The words tasted odd coming out of my mouth. Father whirled, his face pale.

"Where did you hear that?" he asked, his voice hushed.

"Apparently everyone in Hurricane knew about it," I snapped. The guilty look on Father's face told me what I wanted to know- that he was involved somehow.

"What happened?" Father frowned. "Why do you want to know?" I paused. _If he's not going to answer my questions, then neither am I._

"What happened?" I asked again. Father clenched his fists, repeating himself with a growl, "Why do _you_ want to know?" I glared at him, anger boiling in my chest.

"Because you hide things from me," I declared, also balling my fists, "and if it has to do with me, shouldn't I know?" Father gave me an awful look- like I was a pile of trash he'd just stepped in by accident.

"No. You shouldn't." He left it at that and I shrank to the floor.

_Why am I the only one to be left alone in the dark?_


	7. What Am I?

The bar smelled like puke, piss, and spilt drinks. Grown men fought over what song to play on the jukebox. A skinny girl and her drunk boyfriend screamed a love song in the microphone. I cringed. _Forgot it was Karaoke Night._ I turned to the exit. _It's too late to leave now, you walked all the way here!_

I knew it was a bad idea- going to the bar after having just woken up from an ass-kicking a few hours ago- but my aches and pains made sleep impossible and I craved some kind of relaxation. Watching The Immortal and The Restless didn't help.

"Hey, Abby," I greeted the bartender, sliding into a barstool and resting my hands on the counter. Abby's eyes flicked up from the glass she was pouring.

"Hey," she nodded, then paused to squint at my bruises. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I, uh, don't want to talk about it," I mumbled. After breaking her stare, she stuck a cherry in the drink. "You finally able to get drunk?" I traced my finger along the wooden counter edge, frowning.

"I wish. Some people just aren't built for the buzz, I guess."

_I just want this headache to go away, really._

I sighed. "But I like the taste. May I have whatever you're making right now?" Abby thinned her lips and slid the glass to a heavyset guy down the counter.

"Funny thing, Mike," she said, raising an eyebrow, "I discovered the other day that you aren't as old as you say you are." My spine straightened. "Heh, well, that's... who- how- you don't know-" I hated my stammering. Abby leaned in close. I stopped myself from counting how many face piercings she had.

"Sasha told me all about what she was going to get you for your birthday. The number slipped out." She made a mock-sad face. "I'm sorry, but I can't serve alcohol to minors." I turned, looking at all the people having a good time.

"Abby, you've known me since high school-" I tried, putting my hands together. Abby rolled her eyes.

"You were a crybaby and a pushover, and I didn't like you then. The only reason I tolerate you now is because I'm friends with all your ex-girlfriends and they say you're cool." She lowered her voice. "But we aren't friends and I'm not going to risk my job today."

"Fine," I huffed. "I'll take a coke." She put on a grin before opening the cooler and handing me an ice-cold one.

"It's just one more year, Mike," she said, "you'll live." She left to wipe the far side of the counter. I held the coke bottle to the side of my face, groaning at the sting.

"Hey, is Sasha here?" I decided to distract myself as I opened the coke and took a sip. Abby pointed a finger at the back door, calling, "Out back on her break."

_She can't still be sore, can she? It's been a whole five days. I'll say hi._

I rose from my seat and Abby turned off the tap. "You haven't paid for the drink, you can't take it outside-"

"Taking it outside," I smiled, raising my glass and turning to leave. "I'll be right back. Just saying hi." Abby groaned behind me.

I stepped out the back door and coughed as I inhaled a puff of smoke. Sasha leaned against the brick with a cigarette between her fingers, frowning at two guys standing before her. I didn't take another step. _What's going on here?_

"Just think about it, babe!" a guy with a durag said. "Fun times for you, me, and all my friends!" He grabbed her arm and I saw her flinch.

"I already told you no," she said, her voice trembling under her tough mask. The guy's smile faltered. "You'll change your mind on the way." He and his pal grabbed her by the arms, trying to drag her to their car. Dropping her cigarette, she struggled and managed to kick one of them in the shin. I couldn't watch any more.

"HEY! SHE SAID NO!"

One of the bullies released their grasp on her and approached me. I backed up to the wall.

"And just who are you?" he asked, his eyes glinting with hatred. I caught Sasha's pleading stare. _Leave, please_ , she mouthed.

"I'm her ex-boyfriend," I spoke honestly, swallowing my tiny tone. The guy grinned. "Which means she isn't your concern anymore. Right?" My brain screamed not to intervene but I clenched my fists.

"I'm not going to let you force her around," I said, my tone firm. I was proud of myself. The guy glanced at his buddy.

"Go ahead and take her," he grumbled, "while I deal with this-" My fist contacted his face before he could call me whatever he was going to. All those hours training with James actually paid off.

"Woo! Shut the hell your mouth!" I exclaimed, feeling a rush of excitement and bouncing on my heels. _I actually defended myself!_ I was too proud to notice my hand burning. The guy licked his fat lip, growling and seething with rage. My pride instantly left when he jabbed my gut. I dropped my soda and heard it roll into a pile of trash. He struck repeatedly, keeping me curled over.

_Not again! Not again!_

I felt my body freezing up. _No!_ I grasped the attacker's hair and gave it a good tug. He growled, ripping himself away. I clutched my wrenching stomach before feeling thick hands shove me to the concrete. The bully and his friend kicked my already sore ribs. My lungs refused to give me air and dizziness hit me. After an eternity, the attackers stepped back. I blinked through tears and shakily got to my knees. Behind me, I heard Sasha whimper.

"Now you know to stay in your place," raged her new boyfriend. I shot daggers into his evil glare. _Fight back, fight back_ , a small part of me chanted. _No! Remember last time?_

 _For Sasha_ , I said to myself.

"Sasha will never be with an asshole like you," I spat along with blood. The man's face twisted back into his ugly sneer. Four hands wrapped around me and slammed my head into the brick wall. I heard Sasha screaming but I couldn't make out what she said. I don't know why they kept pounding my head into that brick wall. Maybe they wanted me to conk out. But for some reason, my body wasn't willing this time. I heard a muffled shatter, followed by everyone suddenly yelping in pain. I fell back and rolled to my side. One of my eyes saw only black fuzz. Sasha and the attackers all had their hands covering their ears; their eyes squeezed shut.

"What is that noise?!" cried out one of the guys. The other stared at me slack-jawed. He slapped his buddy, not taking his eyes off me. They scrambled out of my line of sight while Sasha only stood there, blanching. Only when I heard a car drive off did I totter to my feet. The pain was so unbearable I prayed I would fall unconscious soon. Sasha hadn't broken her gaze.

"What's wrong?" I asked, touching my face but feeling nothing. Her lips barely moved.

"Your face."

I knew the guys had busted me up bad but I didn't know the severity of it. I walked up to a parked car along the street and jerked back with a scream.

The man in the window glass had a chunk of his face hanging off, the stuff underneath flickering back and forth between bloody raw skin and a mass of tangled wires surrounding a glowing blue eye. My breath stopped and my head began to throb worse than it already was. Something beeped in my ears, a constant sound- I covered them but it only grew louder. The world glitched and shifted black-and-white and purple. I tried blinking away the static but it only spread. I ended up on the ground, curling up and trying to forget the now stuck image flashing before my eyes- my own endoskeleton.

01110010 01101111 01100010 01101111 00101101 01100010 01101111 01101001

_"Can you hear me? I don't know if you can hear me. I- I'm sorry." He squeezed my hand. I couldn't squeeze back. A loud beep sounded, hurting my ears and drowning out the screaming. My friends disappeared one by one, leaving me alone with the black void coming to swallow me whole. Come back! Please! I couldn't hear my voice anymore. Warmth surrounded me, pulling me and urging me to sleep. The last thing I heard was a sharp whisper._

_"I will put you back together."_

01010111 01101001 01101100 01101100 01101001 01100001 01101101 00101100 00100000 01110111 01101000 01111001 00111111

Warmth trapped my body, swallowing me. It was soft and squishy and dark like I was in a bowl of pudding. Walls surrounded the pudding and pushed it together to form a tight box, forcing my limbs to squish together. I couldn't breathe.

_I have to get out!_

I thrashed about, kicking away the pudding walls. The darkness faded away and light blinded me. I bolted upright with a gasp. My heart pounding in my chest, I glanced around for ten seconds before realising I was back at home on the couch. Pillows and folded blankets and towels surrounded me. I ran my hands through my sweaty hair, then touched my face to make sure I still had it. My face was normal again. I realised all my bruises and cuts were gone- no pain remained. _Was it all just a dream?_

"You can't keep breaking yourself."

Father sat in the armchair, leaning forward with his fingers interlocked. _He brought me here_ , I concluded.

"How did you know where I was, Father?" I asked.

"I have my ways," he replied hastily. I was tired of this. I sprung off the couch, ignoring my head spinning, and stood in front of Father.

"I need answers!" I stormed, my hands on my hips. "There is something really wrong with me, and you know it! You know what it is!" I was screaming in his face now, seething with rage. "Why must you keep it a secret?!" Father didn't flinch.

"There's a lot you don't know, Michael," he said, sitting back in the chair, "and I intend to keep all of it a secret."

"WHY?!" My fingers trembled, longing to grab Father and shake the answers out of him. Miraculously, I held back the urge. Father rose from his chair, staring me in the face. I saw hatred boil in his eyes.

"You only exist because of my nagging guilt," he growled, stabbing my chest with a bony finger. I swallowed, his face suddenly unrecognizable.

"If it weren't for me, you'd be a pile of scrap metal sitting in my factory collecting dust."

I choked on my breath. "No!"

I kept denying with a raised finger. He had finally spilled some beans but I didn't want to accept them. "You're lying to me!" Tears burned my eyes. I stepped away from Father as images of the night before flashed in my vision. _Not real. Not real. Not real!_ The ringing returned faintly. Frustrated, I grabbed Father by the shirt.

"Tell me the truth!" I fumed. He shoved me away.

"I already have!" I opened my mouth to scream again but no words went past my lips. Father stepped by me and unlocked the back door.

"Where are you going?" I asked, knowing he wasn't going to answer me.

"It doesn't matter," he said. He pulled on his coat. My face twisted into a scowl.

"Just like me, huh," I muttered, then lowered my head as the words burned themselves into my brain. _I don't matter to him._ Father's brow softened.

"You-" he started softly, then hesitated. I perked up, hoping to hear something good come out of his mouth.

"I had to restrain you last night. You had a seizure." He paused to pull open the door. "I could have let you concuss yourself on the coffee table. Or I could have let you rust away in the back alley of Jr's. But I didn't. That's-"

"That's not love," my mouth grumbled. Father frowned.

"What would you know about love?" I couldn't find a comeback before Father left me alone with my thoughts.

01101111 01101000 00100000 01100010 01101111 01111001 00100000 01101110 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00100000 00110101

The rage never left me, even when I was in the elevator of Circus Baby's Entertainment and Rental. Father's words kept throbbing in the back of my head- so loud that I couldn't focus on Hand-Unit talking to me. I thought about what Funtime Foxy did to me and wondered if that rage was meant to be for someone else. The idea of walking into a death trap blindfolded didn't scare me at this point, but what did was the fact that everything I knew- about Baby's, about Father, and myself- could be a lie.

_What am I?_

I pushed the thought away. _Think positive._ I took a deep breath.

_I have to find my sister. That's the only thing that matters now._


	8. Done Got Scooped

"Exotic Butters."

"I am so done with you," I hissed at Hand-Unit's keypad before it collapsed back into the wall. _Exotic Butters, the hell is- You took that outta my paycheck._

"Please be aware that there are still two technicians on-site today," said Hand-Unit. I perked up.

_Those guys are still here? Uh- what are their names... Peter and Bobby? Cool, maybe I can say hi._

"Try to avoid interfering with their work if possible."

_Oh._

"Also, feel free to ask them why they are still there, and encourage them to go home."

"Okay," I replied, not bothering to question Hand-Unit's logic. The elevator stopped. I took a breath and smoothed the wrinkles out of my shirt.

_She's in there somewhere. Today's the day I get my information._

I pressed the bright, red, and obvious button to open the elevator door and trek into the cold vent. My thoughts were jumbling all over the place. I felt that, by finding this deceased relative, that everything would suddenly be revealed, but deep down, I knew that whatever I was digging into was deeper than I thought.

_Why did Father want me to find her, and why now? All those times he's gone for hours, was he searching for her? How do you look for ghosts, anyway?_

"Let's check on Ballora, and make sure she's on her stage."

"Okay." _I know she's not going to be there, man_ \- I threw a hand to my mouth. Above the stage dangled a technician, wire from the stage lights wrapped around his neck and forming a makeshift noose.

"Why- how-" I choked on my words. _Why would that guy- Bobby, his name was- why would Bobby end his life? He must not have done this. I think this is my fault._

"Great. Now let's check on Funtime Foxy." I felt dizzy and sick.

"Okay," I mumbled like a mindless robot drone and turned on the light. A smear of blood on the window glass blocked my view of Foxy's stage.

"Great! It looks like everything is as it should be in Funtime Auditorium. Your task today will involve more maintenance work. Circus Baby had a rough day and is in need of repair. You will be required to reach the Parts and Service room by once again sneaking through Funtime Auditorium. As always, please proceed with caution." I swallowed bile as the vent gate slid open.

"I don't want to do that," I barely spoke. My brain flashed an image of my own body hanging over stage and I grasped my stomach to prevent puking. _I don't want to end up like that._

"Perhaps my instructions were unclear. You will be required to rep-"

"I HEARD YOU, DAMMIT!" I slammed my fist into the window. My body shook with all the stress that had accumulated over the past week. I bit my lip to stop myself from crying.

_You have to go. As soon as you find out what happened to your sister, you can leave._

"I'm going," I told myself before my brain could change my decision. I crouched in front of the vent leading into Funtime Auditorium. Just blinking in front of it felt weird to me- like if I blinked again the darkness would swallow me and the streaks of pain would return to my face, never to stop. I focused on the pitter-patter of my palms slapping the vent shaft's cold metal.

_Back into the darkness._

My breathing and heartbeat were deafening. I forced my legs to move. **Flash.** I caught something on stage- something stationary. _Foxy?_ I kept moving, stepping lightly. **Flash.**

"Hello?" A tiny voice called out from the stage. "Is anyone there?" I knew that voice. _Other-technician-guy!_ A wave of relief washed over me. **Flash.** I checked my surroundings before climbing onto the stage and turning on my flashlight. Peter laid on stage, his face and chest caked with blood.

"Hey, dude," he croaked. "Guess you were right about the robots, huh?" He gave a tiny smile, then coughed. I lifted my hands, hesitating and hovering them above him. _What can I do?_

"They didn't kill you," I pointed out.

"They think they did. I had to pretend." Guilt slammed onto my shoulders.

"Peter, I'm sorry about Bobby, he-" I tried to say but tears interrupted. Peter grabbed my arm, his eyebrows knitting together.

"It's all good, man. He's in a better place and didn't have to suffer like I am." He paused, licking blood off his trembling lip. "Why did you come back here, man? After what they did you to you?"

"I'm looking for... something," I hesitated.

"You're looking for death," Peter chuckled half-heartedly. My hands finally stopped hovering and slid under Peter's armpits to try and lift him. He shoved me away.

"Save yourself, dude."

"I can't just leave you here." Peter squeezed my arm.

"The robots never acted like that before you came," he explained. "They really want you dead. Leave before it's too late." I stood from my knees and held out my hand. Peter shook it.

"I'll come back for you," I declared. "I promise." Peter half-smiled.

"That's nice, dude, but don't make promises you can't keep." He watched me step off stage. I saw the fear gloss his eyes- fear for me.

"I-" I started but he spoke first, "I hope you... find what you're looking for."

"Thanks." _That's not what he wanted to say._

I opened the door to Parts and Service and shut it behind me as silently as possible. _Don't make promises you can't keep_ , his words played through my head.

 _I got lucky the first time they attacked me- no, I barely survived, then did that stupid thing at the bar, then Father took care of me._ I frowned at that. _He actually cared?_

My thought process stopped when I saw her.

The shiny clown girl sat on the conveyor belt, unmoving and unblinking.

 _Wow_ , I thought. _That's a big baby._

It was too dark in the room to see her closed eyelids. For just a second, I imagined a giant mechanical claw snap out of her midsection and grab mine, seeping its claws into my flesh. I shook the vision out of my head and rubbed my stomach to stop the fake pain. A high-pitched scream rang in my ears and I covered them. My head was spinning for the umpteenth time.

_Why is this happening?!_

I could feel a strange presence turning the air frigid; making the hairs on my arms stand.

"Great job reaching Parts and Service!" Hand-Unit broke my reverie. "Circus Baby has been deactivated for an unknown reason. It is your job to ensure she is structurally stable and secured to the conveyor. Our technicians will take it from the-"

A screech interrupted him, followed by a quiet voice.

"Can you hear me?"

I lifted my head. Baby hadn't moved an inch.

"I'm pretending," she said. "Remember how I said I could pretend? The cameras are watching, I must be careful not to move." I hadn't noticed my cheeks were wet with tears.

"Your friends hurt my friends," I accused, glaring but for only a few seconds- the longer I stared the louder the scream was.

"My friends are bad. They do not know how to pretend like I do," Baby replied after a pause. My brain reminded me of Bobby hanging over the stage dead and Peter bleeding out on the floor.

"They didn't deserve that."

"Something bad happened yesterday," Baby changed the subject. "Something bad always happens."

"Of course something bad happened here." I tried to sound tough but the freezing air was making my teeth chatter. Her voice wavered, sounding like a voice I'd heard before. "There is something bad inside of me."

My brain flashed the nightmare- _the tall clown's eyes rolled to the back of its head as a giant metal claw shot out of its belly. In a blur, the girl was snatched away. Paralyzed with fear, I could do nothing but watch her blood seep out from the cracks of Circus Baby's shiny metal skin._

_Elizabeth!_

"It was you," I mumbled, shaking the memory away with my head.

_She took my sister from me. I saw it._

I caught Baby's eyelids flicker open then shut, revealing for a split-second glowing green eyes.

"I'm broken," she whined.

 _She's still inside_ , I realised, my stomach turning.

"How can I fix you?" I asked Baby.

"I'm going to be taken to the Scooping Room soon, but it's not going to fix what's wrong with me. What is bad is always left behind. Will you help me?"

I didn't know what to say. I hated that I felt sorry for her. She'd been left down there all alone, being forced to stay in her place. There was a chance that Elizabeth could be inside her still.

 _Maybe you were hallucinating,_ a small part of me gave a simple answer. I recalled the day before, where I saw the bloody wires and coils of my broken reflection. _Was that real?_

"I will help you," I finally replied, then added, "but only if you help me." I knew it was weird- trusting a robot that may or may not have taken my sister and been involved in the murder of two employees- but I felt like I didn't have a choice at that point.

I could've sworn Baby gave a tiny nod.

"I want you to save what is good," she said, "so the rest can be destroyed and never recovered, but you must be careful."

"Why?" I asked, almost in a whimper. _Foxy?_

"Ballora is here in the room with us." I stopped breathing, my eyes suddenly darting around the tiny room.

"Where is she?" I mouthed, too afraid to actually say it.

"Ballora will not return to her stage. Ballora will not return to her body."

I squinted through the darkness but couldn't find any movement. My heart raced in my chest.

"You must be careful, you must remain calm and listen to my voice," soothed the only friendly robot down here. I swallowed my heartbeat and took a deep breath. "Okay."

"There is a button on my cheek. You must find it and press it."

Reaching my hand out to touch her cold metal face felt wrong- like I was about to touch a blade by its sharp edge. My fingers grazed a tiny bump on one of the much larger bumps on her face painted to look like rosy cheeks. I heard a click and jumped. A tiny number pad popped out of the side of Baby's face.

"There is a passcode that you must enter before you can retrieve me," explained she. "Enter the code carefully."

"Okay." My eyes narrowed at the buttons, trying to find numbers.

"One," she started. I pressed the button and heard a small beep.

"Two. Four. One. Seven. One. Nine. Eight. Three."

When I finished the sequence, a panel on her arm flipped up.

"Good. A hatch should have opened. Take the card that you find inside."

"Okay." I pulled a plastic green card out from a mass of wires.

"Put the card into your handheld device and I can continue to speak to you." I slid the card into a slot on my Hand-Unit glove, which gave a silent whirr in response.

"Huh. Okay. Now what?"

"Now you must turn back. I will guide you through Funtime Auditorium, so you can reach the Scooping Room. When you are there, I want you to destroy this body."

 _Destroy?_ I thought it was harsh at first, imagining the girl getting hit with the Scooper. _But she's one of them. And destroying her might free my sister._

"I understand," I replied.

"Now, press the green button to your left, this will send me to the Scooping Room." I waited for her to say more, then pressed the button, thinking about what the Scooper did to Ballora. _Does it hurt to be hit by that?_ The conveyor belt hummed and buzzed loudly as it carried Baby out of my line of sight.

"That's it-" I started, only for Baby's voice to speak from the tiny speaker on my glove.

"You must follow my instructions in Funtime Auditorium. Ballora is going to follow you. She will try to catch you."

"Catch me?" I repeated. _Would she do worse than Foxy?_ Apparently, Baby heard the worry in my voice.

"Don't worry, I will help you avoid her. She will not follow you inside the Scooping Room, she is afraid." My brow furrowed. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," she said in a 'duh' tone. "Go back now." I turned to the door leading back into Funtime Auditorium. I didn't want to go- not after seeing what the robots had done to Peter- Hell, what they had done to me the day before. But what choice did I have? I'd have to leave the facility eventually. I opened the door and stared into the dark abyss before me.

"I'm ready," I said, not ready at all.

"Go forward," directed Baby. I stepped into the room, keeping my breath silent to listen for other footsteps besides my own. My finger hovered over the flash beacon button. Baby had me zig-zagging all over the room.

"Go forward, you are almost there," Baby said. I kept going. I heard something metal scratch the floor and froze. _That better be my imagination._ An echoing clank shook my entire body.

"Stop," whispered Baby, "she is right in front of you. Don't. Move." The air seemed to get colder in front of me.

 _Don't move_ , I told my aching muscles. My lungs screamed at me to breathe but I resisted.

"Dude? Is that you?"

_No! Bad time!_

I kept my mouth shut, only to heard a shrill screech blow up my eardrums and heavy footsteps clanking away. _She's going for Peter_ , I realised. _Save yourself_ , said my brain but I'd already made up my mind.

"Don't hurt him!" I forced the words out of my throat, sounding raspy. Glowing purple eyes stared into my direction. I slapped my mechanical glove, hoping to stun the beast. **Flash**. A tangled mass of wires shot my way.

"Shit!" I hissed, backing away to slam into the wall. Cold pressure squeezed my neck and I slid up the wall. The purple eyes were two inches from my face. Breathing I found to be impossible all of a sudden. My mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water. _She's choking me!_

"He is here to help, Ballora," Baby spoke. Numbness spread across my body. I flailed my legs about, giving up when my heel hit the wall hard.

"He is not here to hurt us."

Ballora's grip loosened.

"Please," I wheezed, my voice hardly audible. The air around me felt fluffy and my arms were limp at my sides- I knew I was losing consciousness.

"Ballora, he is here to help," Baby insisted with a firm tone. Ballora held me there, barely squeezing now; contemplating on whether or not to let me live. She dropped me and slunked away. I gasped at the air and rubbed my neck- everything still felt fluffy. I stumbled to my feet. _Where'd she go?_ My eyes gazed back and forth.

"Ballora is behind you. She is afraid of the Scooping Room," Baby said. "She will not follow you." I wiped my burning eyes before stretching my arms out to find an exit. I touched what felt like a vent opening and crawled into it without second thoughts.

"Warning: You've entered a highly dangerous area!" informed Hand-Unit. I squinted to let my eyes adjust to the dark. All the animatronics shells were sprawled across the floor around me. Then I saw it- gleaming in the dim flashing light.

_It's right in front of me._

"You've entered from maintenance hatch 1B, reserved for cleaning and repair of The Scooper. Entering this side of the room is strictly prohibited by unauthorized persone-"

"You are in the Scooping Room now," Baby interrupted Hand-Unit again. I glanced around, my brows furrowing in confusion.

"Okay, I can see that," I muttered with a hand on my sore throat. "Where are you?" Baby didn't answer me. I caught the camera in the corner facing my direction. _Someone's watching me._

Baby listed in a blank tone, "Funtime Foxy has already been here today. Funtime Freddy has already been here today. Ballora has already been here today." She paused. "Circus Baby has already been here today." My breath got stuck in my throat when I noticed the figure watching me from the window looking into Parts and Service. Its purple eyes stared through the white clown mask it wore on its face. I recognised Ballora's endoskeleton face but the rest of its body wasn't hers.

"What's going on, Baby?" I asked, worry rising up my chest and stiffening my limbs. My eyes fell to their metal skins again. _They combined together? Like Legos?_

"I've been out before," began Baby, her voice soft, "but they always put me back. They always put us back inside. There is nowhere for us to hide here. There is nowhere for us to go... when we look like this."

"Baby, what's going on?" I repeated with more panic in my voice. I looked around for anywhere to move but the giant robot skins blocked my path. I whirled to the wall behind me, where damaged Bidybabs sat in the vent shaft. Chelsea stood up on two legs and smoothed out the wrinkles on her dress. Bitey and the others snapped their jaws while Chelsea placed her tiny hand on my cheek.

"Don't hold it against us," she whispered. My eyebrows scrunched together. _What's that supposed to mean?_

"But if we looked like you, then we could hide," Baby spoke again. "If we looked like you, then we would have somewhere to go." It took way too long for me to process what she'd just said. I hunched my shoulders, staring at the Scooper poised to attack.

"Oh no- no, this- you can't- please, don't-" I spewed my jumbled thought process, throwing shaking hands up as if that would stop what was coming to me. _There's nowhere to run_ , my brain stated. If I weren't so frozen stiff, maybe I could have found a way to stop it. But I just stood there, crying and panicking and melting at the sting of betrayal.

_I shouldn't have trusted her._

Preparing to activate the machine in front of me, the clown robot creature in the window raised a finger. I shut my eyes and focused on my pounding heart. A muffled clank made me jump. I dared to pop open one eye. Peter stood before the clown robot, holding a metal pipe. The robot's mask had a crack along its side.

"Go, man!" he shouted, banging his fist on the window. I pivoted only to find the Bidybabs still behind me.

"Let me leave!" I cried. They shook their little heads at me. I turned back, catching the evil robot clutching Peter's neck. In a headlock, Peter struggled and squirmed but it was no use. The clown robot looked at me, peered down at him, then used its other hand to twist Peter's neck in an agonisingly slow movement. Peter's screams wrenched my stomach, even moreso when it came to a quick halt. The robot dropped Peter's limp body and stared at me as if waiting for my reaction. I couldn't handle it anymore. My entire body shaking with my sobbing, I stepped forward. My stomach jerked at touching the tip of the machine- it was unexpectedly warm.

_This is it. I let them trick me and this is what happens. At least everything will be over soon. I'll finally see her._

"The Scooper only hurts for a moment."

**Beep. Beep. Beep.**

White, black, and red exploded around me. I gasped at the stabbing pain; tried to scream but blood spilt out of my mouth instead. I curled over on my side, writhing and crying silently. Circus Baby didn't lie- the pain left as quickly as it had arrived. My body fizzing like static, I stared at the blurry wall and watched the black and red spots swallow me before two purple eyes drew closer. The last thing I heard was Circus Baby's distant voice.

"Michael Afton has already been here today."


	9. Seeing Purple

I had that feeling again. _I can't get out!_ I heard carnival music this time, the sound distant and muffled. The darkness was eating me. I kicked the warm jelly away, desperate to breathe and see. I managed to roll to my side and open a pocket of air. Gasping, I finally got out with a hard kick. I saw the white ceiling of my bedroom. I stuck my arm out, sighing in relief when the popcorn ceiling wasn't right against my fingers. I let my hand fall back onto the blanket and stared at the ceiling in a daze before sitting up. I scratched my scalp as my eyes caught the time on the alarm clock.

_10:05? I never wake up this early._

I glanced down and did a double-take. My blanket had been tightly wrapped around my midsection. I pulled it away. Dark red stains caked both the blanket and my shirt.

"The hell is this?" I whispered through my hand. I dared to poke the blood spot on my stomach only to feel nothing. _Strange. Is this some twisted prank?_ I lifted up my shirt, having to give it a little tug to unstick it from my skin.

_Where did this come from?_

My stomach was bloated and a sickly reddish-purple hue, the colour more prominent around a poorly-done line of stitching. The longer I squinted at it, the more static covered my vision.

"What is this?" I said my thoughts aloud while blinking away the static.

" _We tried our best at patching you up_ ," a female voice came from nowhere, startling me. I glanced around to find nobody in the room with me. "Where are you?" I felt a twinge of stupid for talking to the wall. The voice laughed with a soft yet taunting sound.

" _You don't remember what happened last night, do you?_ "

My brow furrowed as I tried to remember anything about last night. It was as if last night never happened. _Where was I? Was I here?_

"Who are you?" I decided to ask after swallowing a rising mix of fear and confusion.

_Is there a ghost?_

" _It's not like you'd remember me._ " I swung my legs over the side of the bed and let my feet hit the floor. _What can I remember?_

"My name- Michael Afton. Knew that. I'm almost 20," I stated everything I knew about myself as if introducing myself to a blind date. "I hate birthday parties, pickles, and bears. I don't have a job curren- no, I did have a job. But what was it?" I tapped my lip, trying to recall.

 _This is like that movie where the guy wakes up with no memory after someone took his organs_ , my brain commented. I felt my cheeks blanch. _Did I lose my organs?_

" _You still have your organs_ ," the voice replied in a monotone, then added, " _I think._ "

"You can hear my thoughts?" I said moreso as a statement than a question. _But that means..._

"You're in my head?" The disembodied voice paused. " _You could say that._ " Sinking back into my pillow, I scowled.

_Something happened to me last night and I can't remember it and now there's a voice in my head?_

I didn't know what to think, really. _Does stuff like this happen to normal people?_ I sat back up with a new thought that made me grimace. _Do I have a parasite?_ Shuddering, I pushed the thought away before I could have the chance to throw up.

"I need to shower," I told myself. I got out of bed and threw off my soiled clothes. _Shit,_ I thought, realising there could be someone else in the house. I wrapped myself in a towel and scanned the hallways before racing down them. I closed the bathroom door harder than I intended.

 _Nobody's here_ , my mind noted. _Dumbass._

On my way to the shower, I stopped to stare at myself in the mirror. _Who could forget this guy's masculine facial features?_ For just a second, I felt normal and confident as I watched my beautiful self strike poses. But my eyes kept going back to the ugly stitches on my belly. _Yuck. Whoever did it did a terrible job._ I redirected my attention to showering. I took my time to clean the dried blood off my skin and try to rationalise my situation.

_I must have been somewhere I shouldn't have been last night and got drugged and cut open. Yeah, that's it. I can't do anything about that, can I? But wait, I was always this forgetful. Maybe I can ask someone who knows me where I was last night? Father isn't here, is he? I can ask my friend... Mabel. Oh no, Sasha broke up with me!_

The familiar empty hole of loneliness greeted me. I stepped out of the shower and went back to the mirror, sighing. _This is too weird. Why does life suck right now?_

" _Maybe you should just forget about trying to figure it out,_ " the voice returned. I found myself nodding.

"Maybe you're right," I said, swiping my wet hair out of my face. I felt a tiny bit better accepting the weirdness.

Without a warning, the lights shut off. I was just a silhouette.

"The power's out?" I concluded. Something about staring into pitch-black made my body tense up. _I'm not afraid of the dark, that's childish!_ I reached out and flinched when my hand hit the sink basin. _Lights, come on, please! I don't know how to turn it back on!_ My eyes darted about even though the action was pointless.

Two small purple lights flickered into view, shattering the darkness but barely illuminating the bathroom. _What's that?_ I leaned into the mirror, squinting. It took me seconds to realise that the lights were my own eyes.

"I have glowy eyes now?" I said, then frowned at how stupid that sounded. My eyebrows raised when I recalled seeing purple eyes staring at me before. _Those weren't mine._ I pulled up my eyelids. _How is this happening?_ The bathroom light snapped alive with a flicker before I could find out. My eyes were their normal, non-glowing, bright blue.

"I- what just- what-" my mouth spewed my brain's confusion. Throwing my hands in the air, I gave up trying to understand and left the bathroom.

"I'm going outside for some fresh air," I said as if for the voice's approval. She didn't reply. I went back to my room to slide into a purple long-sleeve and jeans.

01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01100011 01101111 01101110 01110100 01110010 01101111 01101100

The sun cast warm rays down, offsetting the cool breeze- the weather was impeccable. I took a deep breath before strolling down the sidewalk and letting my mind wander.

 _Should I have called the police? Or a doctor?_ The thought of sitting in a cold doctor office sent a shiver down my spine. A few people mowing their lawns or sitting on their porches stopped to wave at me but I was too into my thoughts to wave back.

_Maybe I should just go about the rest of my life. But what if I am missing organs? Am I going insane?_

" _You're acting like a dummy_ ," snapped the lady in my head. I kicked a rock and watched it bounce across the street, imagining that the rock was my problems. It's not that easy.

"Then maybe you can help me," I replied, keeping my voice low. "If you aren't just a figment of my imagination, tell me what happened to me. Spill the beans."

"Not yet," she replied. I crossed my arms. "Fine. Keep your secrets."

_Nobody tells me anything._

I halted on my heels so I wouldn't miss Mabel's house. I felt a whim of achievement for actually remembering where she lived. My foot was about to touch the path when I caught the long shadow of Mabel's dad. Whistling, he loomed over a flower bush with a watering can. His bald head shone with the sun's light reflecting it. _He's not going to hurt you_ , my brain reminded but I already felt my pulse quickening. There was just something about super tall people that made me nervous- they're like bears.

"Uh, hello, Mr Sanderson," I said in a shrimpy voice. He watered another plant- some kind of marigold. I cleared my throat and tried again. He turned, locking his dark eyes onto me.

"Well, hello there, young man." His bright teeth contrasted his dark skin. "How are you this fine morning?"

" _Why are you intimidated by this man?_ " asked the voice. " _He seems nice._ "

"Look at him, he's like, seven feet tall," I whispered, then spat out a reply, "I'm- I'm fine. How are you?" Mr Sanderson peered into my soul, knowing I was lying, before answering.

"I'm fine, too." He went right to the point. "You're not here to see me, are you?" I scratched my arm and shook my head. Mr Sanderson whirled to the open front door, calling for his daughter. Soon after, she came out, wearing her overalls with a strap unbuttoned. The wide smile on her face shrank when she caught my stare. Her dad leaned over to say something in her ear. She tore her eyes away from me.

"Dad," she scolded, "you remember Mike. Graduation? Wet his pants after somebody showed up in a giant bear costume?" I drew my arms in, recalling that day and feeling my ears heat up. _You had to bring that up._ Mr Sanderson's eyebrows raised and his jaw dropped when he recalled it as well. "Ah, that boy. I didn't recognise you. You look different. Taller. Thinner. Paler." I picked at the hem on my shirt. _What am I supposed to say, 'thank you'?_ Mabel approached me, her chest puffed out and her smile thin.

"You do look pale," she said. "Are you sick?"

"Well-" I started only for her to continue in a sharp tone, "Is that why you didn't show up at the festival? Or is there a different reason?"

"Festival? What-"

It hit me like a train.

"Aw, no, I forgot about that!" Mabel didn't flinch at my facepalm. Her father went back into the house, sensing the tension between us. Normally, I'd be impressed that she always kept a smile on her face but now I felt uncomfortable.

"It's okay, Mikey," she said, doing a terrible job of hiding the hurt in her voice, "things happen. I hope you had lots of fun with her."

"I- what?" I swallowed my apology to process her statement. _Ohhh,_ I thought as I remembered a key part of my personality.

"Mabel, I wasn't with a girl, I was-" I tried to explain but Thursday wasn't in my brain.

"Help me out here," I whispered to the voice within my mind.

" _This is your problem, not mine._ "

I couldn't come up with a lie. I knew I wasn't with a girl- the idea seemed wrong. _I was somewhere important._

"I wasn't with anyone," I insisted.

Mabel tapped her foot, unbreaking her stare. "Mmkay."

"And why do you care whether or not I was with some girl?" I spoke without thinking. An unreadable expression crossed Mabel's face. She balled her fists. _Oh no._

"Because you're always hanging out with some girl!" she shot. "I watch you bounce from one girl to the next like an unsatisfied vampire! What about me? I've stuck by you for forever and you STILL PUT ME ON THE BACK BURNER!" She stomped her foot, shaking as tears gathered in the corners of her eyes. My mind blanked. _Mabel's crying. And it's my fault?_

"I-" I couldn't find words to say. I fiddled with my fingers, waiting for anything to come to mind and wincing at the pinch of lonely haunting me. _I can't lose my only friend over something I can't even remember right._ At that thought, I wanted to cry too but I held myself together in fear she would walk away. Mabel looked up at me, hugging her trembling body. _Here it comes._ She wiped her tears away, straightened her spine, then said quietly, "I'm sorry, Michael." I blinked and dropped my hands. _Wait, what? I didn't have to say anything?_

"I jumped to conclusions. The truth is, I don't like seeing you with other girls because..." She pulled her overall straps, pursing her lips. "Because I like you. A lot." Her eyes gazed into mine with a tiny sparkle as she waited for me to reply. Shock kept me silent.

_That explains a lot._

Mabel twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I know you want me to be your best friend but I-I think we can be more than that." The thought of Mabel getting lovey-dovey with me seemed weird. I rocked on my heels.

"Uh, Mabel, that's... that's flattering," I finally got something out of my mouth. "But-" She threw her hands up.

"Don't crush my dreams please if you don't want that it's fine!" she jabbered. She didn't lower her arms until I said, "Okay." She let out a long exhale and repeated my 'okay'.

"You didn't come here to listen to me yell at you," she pointed out. I nodded.

"I wanted to talk to you about something important." She remained motionless for a second as if her brain was on a loading screen, then stepped away from the front door and gestured for me to enter. I awkwardly stepped past her.

"Hey, kids! Just pretend I'm not here!" called Mabel's dad from the couch. I shuffled to the kitchen where her father wouldn't see us. Mabel raised an eyebrow and the corners of her mouth. "What are you-"

"Okay, so," I jumped to the point, "this morning was really weird."

"No kidding," Mabel muttered, then scuffed the floor with her sneaker when she realised she interrupted me. I opened my mouth to continue when I decided, _why not just show her?_ I lifted up my shirt and Mabel blushed only for a second before gasping.

"That looks awful," she said with a hand on her mouth. "You should go get that checked out-"

"No," I answered.

_I can't._

Mabel folded her arms. "Why not?"

The sudden stinging memories of hospital smells and beeps and chatters were enough to convince me.

"I don't want to."

"Fine," Mabel sighed, "do what you want. But you know I care about you and I really think you should get a professional to look at it."

"Do you know where I was last night?" I changed the subject. Mabel sucked her teeth.

"No... the bar, maybe? Or... didn't you finally get a job? Night shift? You dealt with robots or something."

_Robots...?_

I felt like a neanderthal standing there, trying to remember. It was coming to me but faintly; floating near but drifting away when I tried to catch it.

"That's right," I mumbled with a wag of my finger.

_I'm missing something here. I was missing something then. I was looking for it._

"Do you remember what the name of the place was?" I queried.

"No," Mabel replied after a moment of thought. I snapped my fingers, groaning in frustration. _I want to forget this but I'm missing too much!_

" _Would you like for me to enlighten you?_ " whispered the voice in my head. _Enlighten?_ I perked up, feeling a spark of hope. _Will someone finally give me my information?_

"Okay," I mouthed.

 _But do you really want to know?_ asked a small part of me but it was too late to change my mind.

01110011 01101100 01100101 01100101 01110000 00100000 01100011 01101000 01101001 01101100 01100100

I wasn't at Mabel's anymore.

It was dark, save for an occasional flash of light. I pulled my sleeves down to stop the frigid air from biting at my skin.

"What d-did you d-d-do?" I tried to speak with chattering teeth. I heard many voices speaking at once- an echoing clamour. I focused on what they were saying.

_"Results positive." "Race you!" "Did you finish your homework?" "I'm broken." "It's hilarious!" "My beautiful baby boy." "If it weren't for me, you'd be a pile of scrap metal sitting in my factory collecting dust."_

These must be snippets of things spoken to me, I concluded. The room flickered back and forth between what looked like a creepy dark factory, my own house, and a bright colourful party room. The chill had left finally, but without it, I had no feeling at all.

"You said you'd enlighten me," I called out to the flashing walls. "I don't understand this." The voice in my head didn't say a word. The random voices around me continued to speak but faster. A giant shadow stepped out from the flashes, somehow separate from it. I choked on my breath as I locked eyes with a purple bear.

"You can't hurt me," I said, swallowing my pulse. "This is just a-a weird dream." I lifted my hands up only to see how tiny and fat they were. "What the hell?" I was just a little kid. The bear burst into deep laughter and advanced toward me. I had no choice but to back against the wall, which had decided to stick with the party room.

 _It's not real_ , I reminded myself. I felt grips of hands squeezing my little arms and legs and hoisting me up to meet the bear face-to-face.

"No!" my mouth screamed, the word squeaky and high-pitched. My brain went crazy- _it's going to eat me! It's going to eat me!_ The bear snapped forward with an open mouth, enclosing its teeth around me. I heard myself belt out a shrill scream.

The darkness returned. My thoughts were scrambling all over my head. _What just happened? Am I dead?_ A bright ball of light like the sun grew before my vision. I reached out to maybe touch it, only to feel metal pierce my forearm. My arms had been restrained. I blinked back tears, feeling trapped once again.

 _Okay_ , I reassured myself. _Try to make sense of it._

The light continued to grow, revealing a dim warehouse. I could barely see it with all the static covering my vision. Unlike the last, this room was uncomfortably hot. I caught movement right of me and yanked my head that direction; bit my lip as another metal restraint cut me. _Ouch._ A purple blur in the shape of a man approached me, holding a tool that reminded me of the dentist. _I'm not here to get my teeth cleaned._

"Who are you?" I tried to ask but instead, a low mechanical screech came out- like a broken car engine or a skipping record. _What is this?!_ I tried again and managed to croak an "Oo ah you". It randomly occurred to me that I couldn't hear my heartbeat. I swallowed then gagged at the action- it felt too strange. Out of my mouth came a robotic whimper.

" _Shh_ ," soothed the purple guy, holding a finger to my lips. " _Be still._ " That didn't sound in any way reassuring but I stopped struggling anyway. I focused on his face. Part of the static cleared for a moment, allowing me to notice his dull grey eyes. _I know those eyes._ A distant sting in my chest distracted me. Purple and red fingers held in front of my face a chunk of tangled wires. I screamed.

I actually screamed with my own almost-adult voice. I wasn't stuck to a table anymore but standing upright in another dark room with my almost-adult body. I shivered for the cold and feeling had returned.

"Th-that's enough 'enlightening' for me," I declared to the blackness. She replied much to my surprise and I jumped.

" _Are you sure? We haven't even gotten to the best part._ "

A red light flashed. A wave of fear struck me and I had no idea why. _I don't want to know anymore!_

"I w-want out!" I shouted, my voice a whimper. "Please!" The darkness cleared and revealed what looked like a giant ice cream... scooper. I took a step back, my spine hitting a cold wall. _There's no escape._ A small part of me knew what this machine could do to a fragile being like me.

"Stop th-this!" I cried out. In the window across of me stood a purple tangle of wires forming a person. I could hear my heartbeat now, thumping loudly in my ears. A tall and bulky girl appeared next to the Scooper, her metal skin and pigtails shining in the dim light. She spoke with the same voice as the one that was inside my head.

" _Say my name._ "

"I don't kn-know your n-name," I replied hoarsely. _Would knowing save me?_ The clown girl fizzed in and out of view. Within the flickers I noticed a tiny girl with long red hair and chubby cheeks standing in her place- she looked just as scared as I was. _Is she real and trapped here, too?_ She mouthed something to me. I squinted, trying to make out the word. I got it.

"Elizabeth."

The clown robot scowled.

" _Wrong,_ " she said and slapped the machine she leaned against.

"NO!" I screamed but it was too late. The Scooper struck me with a flash of red and black and I crumpled to the floor. The darkness came back again.

I felt cold tiles underneath me. _Please tell me this is the real world..._ I opened my eyes, somewhat hesitant. _Mabel's kitchen! I'm back!_ I felt a smile stretch across my face as I sat up and saw her sitting on the counter. She slid off upon seeing me, her eyes wide.

"Michael, what the fudge happened?!" she cried. I lifted myself off the ground then felt a sharp pain in my head and failed. Mabel saw my struggle and helped me to my feet.

"Now," she said in a scolding tone, her hands on her hips, "please tell me what's-" I couldn't stop my arms from wrapping around her. It felt good to finally see a real person. Mabel flinched but didn't move away from my embrace. I could feel her heart pounding. _She's really worried about me._ I forced myself to break away from the hug.

"What happened?" we said in unison.

"You first," Mabel pointed. I sighed.

"I-" I didn't want to tell her about the voices or the visions. I'd sound crazy. Even though I trusted her with my soul, I didn't want to sound weird while we were on rocky ground. I rubbed the back of my head. "I guess I just passed out." Mabel didn't seem convinced.

"You randomly fell and started shaking and crying and shouting random things," she said, waving her hands. "You scared me."

"I'm fine, Mabel," I lied and she knew it. But she didn't call me out, just looked at me with a concerned glare.

01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01110011 01101111 01110101 01101100 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110100 01110010 01100001 01110000 01110000 01100101 01100100

Mabel left with me, insisting that she accompany me for the rest of the day to make sure I was fine. _At least I don't have to do laundry alone,_ I thought. I picked up my dirty clothes from the house before Mabel drove me to the laundromat. She'd offered to wash my clothes for me but I didn't want her father finding the blood. _How would he react?_ If I accepted her offer I wouldn't have had to use all my money for some quarters.

"Mabel, I got this," I repeated after she tried to help me unload my stuff. It was just one hamper. She followed me inside. I dumped my clothes into the washer and turned to find Mabel walking back from the office with a handful of quarters.

"You didn't have to do that," I said. She forced the coins into my palm. "Yes, I did."

"How did you get past the language barrier?" Mabel smirked.

"Spanish class was my jam, man." I started up the washer and sat down in the provided chairs with a sigh. _At least this is normal- me doing laundry. But this time the clothes are bloody, Mabel's here with me, and-_

" _And we're here, too_ ," interjected the clown girl's voice.

"You," I hissed. How could I forget her, attacking me with that shovel-thing? "Why did you make me see all that?"

" _You wanted to understand. So I gave you what you wanted,_ " she replied.

"I didn't want to feel pain!"

" _Relax, Michael, I didn't even show you everything._ "

"Everything? What the hell is-"

"Who are you talking to?" Mabel asked, staring right at me.

_Shit. Forgot about reality._

"Myself, I guess," I decided to half-lie. I drifted back into my thoughts.

 _What I saw... was all of it real?_ It seemed like real memories, only twisted to nightmares and illusions. _Am I real?_

"Michael," I finally heard Mabel calling me.

"Hmm?"

"The clothes are done." I mumbled an 'okay' and stood up to get them.

01101110 01101111

"I really don't think you're okay." Mabel eyed me in the rearview mirror. I had sprawled across the backseat, feeling tired but refusing to go to sleep in fear of drifting back into the nightmare-world.

"Can I at least get you some aspirin?" I rubbed my aching head. _I guess I could..._

" _It wouldn't work,_ " I heard the clown lady mumble.

"No thanks."

Mabel could only stare for a few more seconds before redirecting her attention to the road. While she drove, I was trying to put the pieces together.

_I got attacked by a bear. It wasn't a real bear, though. Then somebody… did something to me. I knew that girl- I was looking for her. Then the shovel-thing attacked me. Then I woke up not remembering any of this?_

"I don't believe it," I muttered out loud. Mabel looked up. "What's that?"

_If I don't figure this out, it's going to bite me later._

" _I wouldn't worry about it-_ " started the voice but I snapped, "Shut the hell your mouth." _Don't talk to me like that after what you did._ I sat up and let my head stop spinning before talking.

"I need to go to the library," I said to Mabel. She glanced at the gas gauge.

"Okay. Why?"

"Research."


	10. I Hate Reading. Especially If It's About Murder.

I only ever went to Hurricane County Public Library to finish homework assignments and escape from the pain that is reality. But since there wasn't school for me anymore and books are kinda boring, neither was a reason to visit the ol' place. Stepping in there now, breathing in the thick old book scent, brought back only the fuzzy memories of busty bookworm chicks and crying in the dusty corner when one dumped me.

_How do I begin researching something I have no recollection of?_

The voice in my head that belonged to a rather annoying animatronic clown girl gave me a suggestion. " _You could let me show you more._ "

"No thanks," I said promptly, rubbing the back of my neck.

" _Fine_ ," she replied with a pinch of hurt in her voice.

"I suppose I could start with the Bite of '83," I spoke my thoughts aloud. The lady at the desk adjusted her bifocals with an intense hand motion upon seeing me.

"Welcome to Hurricane County Library!" The greeting sounded forced as the lady flashed a toothy grin. _It must have been ages since she's seen someone come here that's not over thirty_ , I concluded. She folded her hands in front of her. "How may I help you today?" I gripped the edges of the desk.

"I'd like to look at some old newspapers." The librarian raised an eyebrow. I didn't hear Mabel creep behind me so when she spoke at an unacceptable library volume I jumped three feet in the air.

"We're doing a school project!"

Librarian lady smiled as if reminiscing on her days in school.

"Alright then," she said, then stepped out from behind the desk. She looked a lot shorter standing directly in front of me.

"I can assist you in operating our microfiche machine. Follow me, please."

"That was okay, right?" Mabel whispered to me as we followed the librarian down a hallway. "I don't know what we're here for really." I nodded, even though I was more focused on what I needed to do.

"Okay," Mabel replied, then tore the scrunchie out of her head. I had to swerve to avoid getting hit by her thick hair. The librarian stopped at a file cabinet inside a small office.

"What dates do you need? We have newspaper headings dating back all the way to the early 1900s," said she.

"The Bite of '83," I said way quicker than I should have. Both women in the room gasped.

"Oh dear," mumbled the librarian, "that's... are you sure?"

"Yes ma'am," I answered before my brain or the voice in my head had a chance to convince me otherwise.

Mabel cocked her head with a frown.

"Are you sure-" she started for me to reply the same, "Yes." The librarian blinked, pushed her glasses to her nose, then took out a roll of microfilm from the file cabinet. She turned on the machine with a tap. While we waited for it to start up, Mabel leaned close to me to whisper again, her eyes wide this time.

"When you said research, I didn't think this is what you meant."

"I just need to figure something out," I answered, "then we can leave."

 **CHILD BITTEN BY ANIMATRONIC- ARE THEY SAFE?** read the bold headline that popped up on the monitor. The librarian stepped away from the text as if looking at it for too long would cause disease to befall her. I peered at the screen, skimming the paper and mouthing the words I read.

**"...eight-year-old boy... birthday party at well-known establishment Fredbear's Family Diner... animatronic known as Fredbear attacked without warning... blood everywhere... witnesses are calling it the 'Bite of '83'... child is currently hospitalized as doctors are struggling to wake him from his injury-induced coma... owner Henry Emily promises to make his establishment safer and denies the possibility that his robots could be broken... CEO of Fazbear Entertainment William Afton had nothing to say about this tragic event... second child-related accident of the month... are these kid-friendly robots really kid-friendly or built for a more sinister purpose?"**

"Poor little boy," commented the librarian. I closed my eyes.

 _I can picture this perfectly. The diner. Checkered wall stripes. Crisp pizza smell. Balloons everywhere. Hands, grabbing me, lifting me up to see Fredbear._ My head began to sting again.

"Did you need a pen and paper or..." I barely heard the librarian say.

"Yes, please," I said.

I tried to focus on the memory to make it more clear, only to make my old friend static appear in my vision. I scowled after blinking profusely. _I've seen this memory, or pieces of it. Why isn't it crystal clear? Four faces- that's eight hands. A bear, a bunny, a chicken, and..._

"A fox." My hands tightened into fists. I knew, deep down in my soul, I knew that the damn fox was responsible. My eyes scanned the news article for "fox". Nothing. _Was there even a fox at the diner?_

"Mike," Mabel called, breaking me out of my thoughts. I hadn't noticed the librarian waving a notepad and an ink pen in my face.

"Oh. Thank you."

I grasped the pen and touched it to the paper.

" _What is there to write down, anyway?_ " pointed out that voice in my head. " _You remember what happened._ "

"There's more to this," I mumbled. Mabel was giving me the most confused look I'd ever seen.

"What are you trying to do? Maybe I can help," she said. "I don't know much about the Bite of '83, since I only heard the rumours, but still, maybe I can-"

 _I trust her_ , I told myself, _but I can't wrap her up in this mess._

"No way," I said, not realising how cold I sounded until I noticed Mabel's posture change. "I mean, thank you, but-"

"It's fine," Mabel failed to cover her offence; pocketed her hands. My eyes fell to my sneakers and I set down the notepad. I really wasn't trying to offend her. The librarian glanced back and forth between me and Mabel, her body stiff from this awkward moment.

"Um... did you need anything else?"

I tapped my fingernails on the desk, creating a rhythm as I thought some more.

_There's more to this._

My eyes caught the very thing I didn't know I was searching for: a crinkly yellow-edged paper tacked to the bulletin board, flaunting cheery anthropomorphic animals- a bear, a bunny, a chicken, and a fox. I tore it off the wall without thinking. The librarian flinched but didn't scold me.

**Freddy Fazbear's Pizza. Where Fantasy and Fun Come To Life. Hiring Now!**

I subconsciously recited the names of the characters, freaking myself out for a second.

"Freddy, Bonnie, Chica, and Foxy." _How did I-_

Mabel peered over my shoulder and I flinched. _Don't sneak up on me like that!_

"Oh hey, I remember those guys! Dad used to take me every other Friday!" she recalled. The librarian had a slight frown.

"I still can't believe they're open."

" _Me, too_ ," commented the voice in my head, but I ignored her. _I don't want her to 'help' me again._ I stuck the paper back to the bulletin board, biting my lip.

"There's something else," I mumbled. "But I can't..." I couldn't quite name what I knew I wasn't remembering. I was so focused on remembering that I didn't hear the librarian talking about the days Freddy's was lively- at least, not until she mentioned something important.

"...business lost back in '85 when the-" her voice lowered to a hush- "when a few children went missing." Mabel gasped, her elbows on the desk and her eyes wide with intrigue and fright. I didn't react as much as I thought I would have- it seemed I'd already been hit with too many new and surprising facts that day. What I did feel was something urging me to continue learning.

"There's an article on that, right?" Mabel and the librarian lady looked at me like I'd just thrown up my guts.

"Um... I'll see if I can find it," said the latter after adjusting her cardigan. I rocked on my heels and let my eyes wander aimlessly. They landed on the pretty coffee-skinned girl standing next to me. _She took me here even though she has no idea what I'm here for. Even though I couldn't return her feelings. And that I ignored her concerns._

" _You should ask her out_ ," suggested voice lady. My nose wrinkled involuntarily. I couldn't imagine going out with the person I'd been friends with for years. Guilt washed over me. _Had she been hiding her feelings all those years?_ She'd watched me run off with one temporary girl after another, waiting for her turn but never getting it.

Mabel caught me staring and returned it. "What? Is there something on my face?"

 _She is pretty_ , I acknowledged. My brow furrowed as I began to notice more details in her face. _Milk chocolate eyes. Button nose. Freckled cheeks._ Had I not noticed that before?

"Stop it!" she exclaimed, a mock-anger in her tone. She slapped my arm.

" _Do you want to have a fun-time with her_?" voice lady sang. I choked on my breath. _Nonono, too weird!_ I fumbled with the belt loops of my jeans and redirected my attention to the librarian, who had already loaded another tape into the microfiche machine.

_Funtime._

Why did that sound so familiar? My heartbeat sped up the longer the word lingered in my ears. _Funtime…_ I blinked, just missing an image flicker out of my vision- a purple-and-white bear that shared a resemblance to Freddy minus the fur. His grating laugh echoed in my head. _Funtime Freddy has already been here today._ Which reminded me of… _Flash_. The glimpse of a pink-and-white- pink-and-white something… a fox, that's what it was. _Funtime Foxy has already been here today._ The sting of his punches returned to me and I involuntarily rubbed my jaw. _There's one more. The clown girl. But what was her name?_

"Hey, the screen's up." Mabel nudged my arm.

"One second," my mouth uttered.

 _What was her name?_ I tapped the desk again. _Funtime Circus- no, not a Funtime. Why not a Funtime? That seems right. Circus... something. Circus Lady. Circus Girl. Circus-_

" _Ugh, you're such a dummy_ ," groaned she. " _It's Circus Baby._ " And that was apparently the trigger word because I nearly fainted reliving every night shift at CBERs within the span of two seconds. When my head stopped spinning, I could only give a single, weak nod. "Yep. That's... that's right." Circus Baby sighed.

" _I would have thought the sound of my voice would bring the memories back, but I guess you're thickheaded and stupid._ "

"Well, you're a…" I couldn't spit out a good insult. What my fried brain came up with: "A meanie." She snickered and I rolled my eyes before focusing on the headline in front of me.

**KIDS MURDERED IN PLAIN SIGHT AT LOCAL PIZZERIA- SUSPECT WALKS.**

As I skimmed this one, my stomach wrenched.

"… **six children between the ages of 2 and 8… linked to the missing children incident… suspect identified on the cameras as the CEO of Fazbear Entertainment, William Afton… suspect has been convicted… hardworking team at HPD were unable to locate the bodies… suspect is declared innocent… new CEO of Fazbear Entertainment begs their customers to come back… opinion is that all parents should take responsibility for their own children.'"**

The world swayed sideways as my thoughts swirled around me like a heavy fog, suffocating me. _I knew Father was keeping things from me._ It wasn't hard to imagine the old man covered in blood- I'd seen that before, I remember. How could I have forgotten that- that night he came home, dripping with rainwater and someone else's blood? I was terrified, then filled with bitter anger.

_He had children of his own! How could he do that?_

Circus Baby answered me, but she wasn't poking fun of me or giving me bad life advice. " _I ask myself those questions all the time, Michael. And it's us who has to pay for his sins._ " My body heated up- her anger surged into me. I struggled to keep my trembling hands from punching the screen in front of me.

_Innocent children. Six of them._

Mabel, who looked upset but not nearly as bad as me, noticed my blanched expression. It took her a second to realise why I was so troubled.

"Oh," was all she said. She looked at the screen again, then me. The librarian- poor lady- switched off the microfiche machine and kept her hands folded with an expression as if she was guilty.

"That was a dark day for Hurricane," she said. She adjusted her glasses and put on her smile like nothing was wrong. "Is there anything else I can assist you with?"

"No. Thank you."

I exited the office, staring at my shoes as I walked. Saliva thickened in my throat.

" _Don't throw up, Michael_ ," Circus Baby whispered to me. " _You're still missing one more thing, you know._ "

"I'm sure I am," I breathed. I didn't want to know anything else. Once we were alone in the hallway, Mabel tapped my shoulder. Something about her facial expression was off.

"I had no idea it was your dad. My parents wouldn't let me watch the news. I only heard the talk." I didn't know what to say.

"Guess that explains why he was a recluse," she added. "Hid away for years, hoping everyone would just forget." When I didn't say anything, she nudged me again.

"What?" I didn't mean to snap but did, stopping in front of her to face her. "What do you want me to say?" Startled, Mabel shrank back against the wall. The white-hot anger that burned in my chest began to fade the longer I stared into her eyes. _She's afraid… of me?_

"Michael, your eyes are glowing," she pointed out with a whimper. Three days ago I would have taken that as a compliment. I forced myself to take deep breaths. I'd never seen her afraid of anything before. Why did I assume she was incapable of showing any other emotion other than happiness?

"I'm sorry," I sighed, "I can't control it." I blinked a few times. "Did that work?" She nodded. I knew that wasn't it. I grasped her arms with sweaty hands, firmly but gently, and felt her flinch. She looked like a helpless child in the shadow of a stranger.

"Mabel," I began, my voice just above a whisper, "I'm not him. I'm not going to be like him."

" _As if_ ," I heard Circus Baby mutter. I shook my head to get rid of the pinch of doubt in my stomach. Mabel nodded for too long.

"Yeah, I know, I know. It's just- you've been acting weird lately and not wanting to get help for it and I was trying to stay positive and supportive, cuz, you know, we're besties, but then you want to research about murder and child killings and you keep talking to yourself and I can't help but wonder if this is how your dad acted before he started-"

"Mabel, don't say that." It sounded like a desperate plea coming out of my mouth. I pushed away my negative thoughts: _What if she's right? What if this is how it starts?_

"I'm never going to be like my father, I promise," I swore to her and myself.

_I promise._

To calm her and myself, I tangled my fingers through her hair- and man, it was the softest hair I'd ever touched. Mabel's cheeks went from pale to red as she put her hand on mine.

"Okay," she said, more as a sigh. In this moment, I'd forgotten everything but the girl in front of me. _She really is pretty._ I had to look away. Her lips were looking too juicy. I tore my eyes and hands away from her face- too quickly, might I add.

"Ow-ow-ow!" she screeched, her head tilted toward me.

"Sorry, sorry!" I cried as I tried to pry my fingers out of her curls. In the back of my mind, Circus Baby laughed.

01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01100010 01101111 01101111 01110100 01111001 00100000 01100100 01101111 01100101

I rode shotgun this time in Mabel's dad's car. I'd removed my sweater, as it was stuck to my skin, and wore my pink button-up halfway buttoned. My newfound information kept coming back to me like an itch you can't get rid of. I could feel anger bubbling up again. _I need something else to think about._

" _How about how many of us are inside you?_ " Baby challenged, adding an eerie edge to her voice. She wanted me to freak out.

"Stop that!" I hissed, scratching my arm. I recalled that night, where metal spaghetti stood over my body as I bled out. _Yuck. They all managed to fit inside my body-_ I cranked the window open and took a breath, letting oxygen get to my cloudy head.

"So, tell me, or don't," I mouthed, "why did you use me?" Baby was silent. I continued, curious to see her reply or reaction. "You kept me safe from the others, only to betray me. You're nice one second, then mean the next. Why?"

" _Because- because it doesn't matter now_ ," Baby hesitated. A smile crept onto my face. It felt nice to finally not be the one being pestered.

_If you're going to be inside my body for a while, we might as well get to know each other._

I heard her sigh.

" _We sought freedom,_ " she began. " _Years of controlled shocks and cold empty rooms drove us mad. We began to dream for a future up there- the surface. After awhile, they began to lose hope. Not me. The first night you came, I felt jealousy. Father took the time to preserve your life but left me in the dark. Then I felt curious. The others thought you were him, but I recognised you for who you really were. I felt determined as I came up with a plan. I protected you to protect your body._ " She paused, then asked me a question.

" _Why did you trust me?_ " I stole bubble gum from the glovebox while I thought about Baby's query. _I thought I was saving my sister. Instead I was falling for a trap._

 _She's still in there_ , I realised. _Elizabeth._ Knowing that Baby heard my thoughts, I waited for her to respond.

" _Do you rem-_ "

"Is there anywhere else you needed to go?" Mabel asked, unknowingly interrupting Baby. I sat upright and looked at the passing scenery out the window. _Not really._

" _You could take her on a date_ ," Baby insisted. " _Go out for pizza, maybe._ " _Bleh. No._

" _It would take your mind off everything._ " Mabel glanced at me, still waiting for me to say something. A weird idea crossed my mind at the mention of pizza: _We could go to Freddy's. We could investigate the place. Maybe I could find out something new-_

" _That is not what I meant_ -" Baby started but I already had my mouth open.

"What if we went to Freddy's?"

The car and its passengers lurched forward as Mabel slammed her foot on the brakes. Good thing we weren't on the main road. I gathered myself and met her goggle-eyed stare.

"What? Not up for some nostalgia?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked. Mabel wiped the one growing on her face off.

"That could be fun but we'd get bored with all the kiddie stuff and anyway nobody goes there anymore so it would be just us and you don't look like you feel well and there's rumours about the robots being haunted…" Her rambling trailed off as I remembered an important fact. _I do NOT want to see the robots active._ I shoved away the thought of a tall dark bear biting my head off. _We might have to go after hours._ The idea brought adrenaline rushing through me. I'd never done anything that bad. _There's probably a key to the building somewhere in the house._

 _What if Father is there?_ I asked myself. _I can't look at him again._ My jaw tightened. _If he's there, I can talk to him. I can tell him how much I know._

"What if we go after hours?" I projected my idea to Mabel, who stopped talking finally.

"You mean break in?" I saw the excitement flash in her eyes, but also the concern. We had clean criminal records, us both.

"I bet my father has a key somewhere." She gasped and waved her hands.

"Booyah! Let's do it!" Her enthusiasm was contagious- I caught myself grinning ear-to-ear.

" _After everything we've been through_?" Baby protested. " _Haven't you had enough?_ "

_Hmm. I don't have anything else better to do. But I don't want to get attacked by an animatronic. But I can just take a look inside. Bring back memories._

Nothing could convince the idea out of my head. I wasn't afraid, for some reason. Perhaps because I wasn't going underground?

"Let's do it," I repeated, sure of it.

 _This is probably a bad idea_ , I thought.

" _Yes, yes, it is._ "

I sank back into my seat. _But what do I have to lose?_

" _How about your little friend?_ " answered Baby. I looked at my best friend, who was driving a tad over the speed limit.

_I won't let anything happen to her. I promise_ _._


	11. The Sickest Slam Dunk

Mabel dropped me off a few streets away from my house, declaring before she drove off that she'd arrive by eight and that she'd deal with her father's reprimands later. I watched the car disappear down the road; with a distant excitement but also fear. What we were going to do later I knew was dangerous, especially for her. I wasn't thinking about how much danger I'd be putting myself into. It seems that I was well-acquainted with danger at this point.

My eyes drifted off the concrete below my sneakers and onto a neighbour of mine: an old woman hanging up wet clothes on a clothesline. I watched a dark coat sway in the wind, my skin suddenly clammy. It reminded me of something.

"Staring is awful rude, you know."

I blinked. The old woman was giving me a drop-dead stare. From the edge of the lawn, I caught a whiff of some sweet flower and cat fur. _She always smelled like that._

"I'm sorry, ma'am," I blurted out and hurried past her, feeling her gaze burn a hole in the back of my skull. _I didn't mean to offend her._

Baby had been quiet in my head for a while. I took this time to wonder about myself.

_Am I really not human? I feel pain and emotions and love. I can't be a clone- I do have a belly button-_

" _Ugh. Sometimes I regret being inside you hearing your stupid internal rantings,_ " Circus Baby grumbled.

 _Finally, she speaks_ , I thought.

"If I annoy you so much, why can't you leave?" I prodded, just curious to hear her reply.

" _You already know why, you idiot. I'm not going to go over it again. Just get us home, please._ "

"You said please," I noted, honestly just bored and seeing if I can make her madder so she'd shut up. It worked; she said nothing. But I quickly grew tired of the silence. As I walked along the sidewalk giving waves to passersby, I was torn between wanting Baby's stupid ass to leave and dreading the moment she actually does.

_I'm going crazy. I don't want her around anymore. I'm fine being alone._

At the next house I passed, a guy in a lawn chair who I barely remembered to be Fred Something popped open a sleepy eye to stare at me. After about five seconds, I considered quoting ' _It's rude to stare_ '. But I increased my pace and shrugged off the growing feeling that he could see right through me.

_Why were they staring at me? Could they see right through me?_

01111001 01100101 01100001 01101000

I passed the local playground, where today no kids were in sight. A distant thumping brought my attention to the basketball court on the opposite side of the street. I watched some kids pass a ball back and forth- the action was mesmerising.

" _3_."

"What?" I mumbled, having barely heard Circus Baby. She didn't reply so I shrugged and continued walking. Or I thought I did. My legs stuck to the concrete underneath my sneakers, refusing to move at all.

"I-I can't move my legs," I realised, then swallowed back my heartbeat before asking, "Are you doing this?" Baby didn't reply.

"Baby?" There was a trembling panic in my voice. "Answer me!"

" _What are you yelling about?_ "

I stumbled forward, my muscles aching from all the tensing-up. Grasping the gate fence so I wouldn't fall, I took a breath to calm myself.

"What happened?" I asked.

" _What do you mean, 'What happened'? You're in control right now,_ " Baby replied rather snarkily.

I let myself process that. "Wh- what is that supposed to mean- 'Right now'?"

Baby kept quiet.

"Baby?"

I sighed. _There she goes again. Being cryptic and secretive. Wonderful._

"If you are to stay in my body, which is still under discussion, you can't do stuff like that," I grumbled. "It's-it's weird."

" _I didn't m-_ " She started, but an orange blur barely in our view quieted her. The basketball that had previously been passed around the court rolled past my shoe. I stopped it.

"Hey," called one of the three kids. "Pass the ball back?" I picked up and tossed it with little effort in their general direction in the hopes one of them would catch it. I _never played basketball_. The kid who caught it gave a nod.

"D'wanna play?" asked he, sitting the ball on his hip. The others approached and stared intently, awaiting my response and reminding me of the Bidybabs.

"I-" I almost admitted to having never played basketball but I bit back my tongue. "I'm busy with- doing, ah, adult stuff, so, uh, catch you later." One boy flicked the brim of his neon pink hat, his lips thinning.

"You don't know how to play, do you?"

I swallowed back the heat that rose to my face. _It's not my fault Father put my older brother in sports instead!_ The shortest boy shook his head. "Nah. He's just chicken."

"Chicken!" repeated the kid in the back.

"Hey! I'm not chicken!" I protested, sounding like a kid myself. "I just don't want to play with-" The boys began to imitate chickens.

"I'm just going to walk away," I huffed and did as such.

Baby's voice startled me, as usual. " _Funtime Foxy wants you to play. He has taken great interest in this activity._ "

"Whatever," I said under my breath. That was a mistake. My left leg froze mid-stride.

"H-hey!" I yelped, trying to fight it. I tottered in place- they were forcing me to turn around. The struggle tired me easily and I gave a defeated groan, "Okay, okay! I'll go. By myself." I clenched my fists, feeling like a defiant toddler.

They let me walk back to the basketball court. The boys stopped in their play to cock their heads at me. I spoke before they could, "I… it turns out I might have a little time to play." The kids grinned in unison.

"Cool," remarked pink hat boy. "You can join Ricky, he's by himself." He gestured to the short kid- he looked familiar to me but I couldn't figure out why.

My limbs were heavy as they moved by themselves- it was awkward at first, but after a while and with my input, we worked together to create fluid movements. Basketball was fun with the kids- they didn't tease my lack of skill as much as I thought they were going to. It helped to be taller than them. Filled with the essence of excitement that resonated from the bodies within me, I caught the ball and sprinted for the basket. My feet pushed off the ground.

"Slam dunk!" I cried- and so did a voice layered underneath mine. I gripped the basket rim before realising I'd actually done it. The kids' cheers underneath me were cut to a halt as a loud creak sounded. The rusty backboard could not handle my weight, it seemed.

"Shit," I breathed before losing my grip and smacking my back against concrete. Before I could even blink, the backboard snapped off its post. And landed directly on top of me. The thick piece of metal knocked the wind out of my lungs and threatened to flatten them. I felt like I was going to cough up a horse.

" _Hmm,_ " I heard Baby mumble. " _We did not consider how much we would weigh altogether in this body._ " The distant clamour of the kids flipping out grew closer as they approached.

"Dude!"

"Damn, is he dead?"

"Are you dead?"

I took a shaky breath before shoving the basketball goal off my body. Six wide eyes peered down at me.

"Oh, he's fine. I thought we were gonna get charged for murder."

"Are you okay, dude?" With a pained groan, I sat up. The hurt had subsided and now a nagging ache sprawled across my body. "Yeah, I'm-"

"YOU BROKE THE GOAL?!" a shriek from across the court interrupted me. An invisible bullet shot right through my heart. _Sasha?!_ I scrambled to my feet as if I hadn't just been crushed by a basketball goal.

"Oh, hey," I tried to act like nothing happened. "H-how's it going?" My ex approached, her face bright red from laughter.

"I've never seen anyone pull a stunt like _that_ before!" she chuckled and wiped a tear from her eye. "You don't weigh that much last time I- what have-"

Ricky interrupted with a squint and the ghost of a smile. "Is this the 'friend' that you would loudly 'play with' at night?"

"Shut up, twerp," a flustered Sasha snapped, her smile gone. "We're not seeing each other anymore." She fumbled with an unlit cigarette for too long. We didn't give each other eye contact.

"So, uh, how are you?" Sasha redirected the conversation. "Other than sore from getting pinned by a basketball goal?" I paused.

_There are five robots in my body right now, along with my dead sister's trapped soul and maybe my mother, too. I'm pretty sure I died as a child but I'm alive anyway. I just learned my father is a child murderer, and I'm going to a maybe haunted pizzeria later because why not?_

"I'm good," I finally replied. I opened my mouth to say more but Sasha started first.

"I don't think I ever introduced you to my cousin." She ruffled Ricky's hair and ignored his whines. "He's a smartass." Ricky tore himself away and joined his friends, who were starting another game with the other goal. Sasha tightened her lips.

"I thought you would have had plans- been out today. With someone."

I shrank. "I've been single since you left, Sasha." She grunted, finding it hard to believe, but not before flinching at the mention of her name.

"Um, have those douchebags still been giving you trouble?" I changed the subject.

Sasha rocked on her heels. "No. Not since what happened." She paused to light her cigarette. "I think they're afraid to encounter you again." That memory swirled around my head like a static-filled tornado. _The ringing in my ears… the reflection of bloody coils and wires staring back at me with glowing eyes-_ I sucked my teeth.

"What-what did you see that night?"

Sasha replied carefully. "What do you mean?"

I rubbed the nape of my neck. "I mean, I wanna hear your perspective." I saw her eyebrows twitch.

"I- you know they beat your ass. It didn't look- normal, though. I-I don't really know what I saw… For a second, it looked like your face had split down the middle- half made of like, plastic and metal wires and shit- but I'm sure that wasn't right. I didn't see that like that, I- I was in shock. You know about my uncle."

The event played out in my head, but I couldn't quite focus on it. "The three of you had started to gag."

"Oh yeah, there was this super loud ringing in my ears. I dunno why but it made me feel sick. My head was spinning and I felt like that time I snorted Fun-Dip powder with Abby but, you know, nauseous, too."

"Yeah," I mumbled but I wasn't really paying attention. _Did I cause that?_

"But that-that's the feeling you get when you see too much blood."

Her words repeated in my head. _-your face had split down the middle- plastic and metal wires-_ My eye twitched as my stomach began to churn. I kept trying to deny it- over and over- _it wasn't real, I didn't see that. My eyes can't glow. I'm human._ My breathing quickened. I knew I was lying.

" _You are an idiot_ ," Baby prodded. " _I've already shown you what happened_." I wanted to tear her out of my ears. _I have to talk to Father. He has to give me answers for this. He has to-_

"You were always talking about being different than everybody else." A faint smirk appeared on Sasha's face. "What if you're really an alien or-or clone or a robot or something?" My breath caught in my throat.

"I don't want to be," I barely said, hugging my arms. Sasha didn't expect that reaction.

"I-I was joking, Mike, you can't-"

My voice interrupted with a weak shudder. "I'm not supposed to exist- he told me that. He told me that. He- he never lied!"

"What's that supposed to mean? Mike-"

I couldn't stop myself. My skin grew hot as my thoughts spewed out of my mouth. I couldn't stop. "My father, he brought me back, he- I'm literally just a walking talking mess of scrap parts from his shed! I'm not supposed to be alive! And-and-and even after th-the Scooper, I still live. I've got, like, five animatronics LIVING inside my body and I can't get rid of them without getting rid of myself!"

"Mike, you're not making any sense!"

"Nothing makes sense! I can't have a normal life anymore- Father took that away from me the moment he PUT ME BACK TOGETHER!"

"STOP IT!" Sasha shut me up, grasping my arms tightly. I blinked back tears.

_I'm not supposed to be alive, I'm not supposed to exist. I've been lying to myself, not Father._

"You might have gotten brain damage, Michael," Sasha told me, her eyes glossy as she tried to keep her cool. "Get checked out-"

"I can't!" I yelled and yanked my arms away from her. "I'm scared! I'm hurt! I don't understand anything! And nobody understands! And… and I miss you." A bead of sweat fell from my nose. Sasha wore an expression that sickened my stomach.

"Michael, your eyes are glowing."

The words sent chills running through my veins. Light-headed and feverish, I took one shaky breath after the other. _Not again…_ If it weren't for Sasha grabbing me, I would have fainted.

"Hey," she spoke softly but cautiously, as if to an enraged animal. "I-I really think you should talk to your dad about this. You don't look so good right now, and you-you're saying a lot of things I don't understand. But please, don't- don't say that you weren't meant to exist." After an eternity, I looked into her eyes.

"Okay," the words eased out with my heavy breaths. "Okay. I'm sorry." I wiped my now-slick face. "I'm sorry you ever loved such a stupid trash robot clone person-" Sasha's glare quieted me.

"You're not trash. I don't know what you are, but… I- I know you. You're kind-hearted and affectionate; maybe an idiot sometimes, but worth so much more than trash." She faltered, hesitating, then stepped forward to wrap her arms around me. The embrace was hot and sticky- an uncomfortable contact- but- for just a second- I felt like a real human.

Until Circus Baby ruined the moment. " _Michael, you have to accept that you are not real. You were recreated by a grieving father who couldn't live with his mistakes. All you are now is a host for me and my friends-_ "

 _Shut up_ , I aimed the thought at her. _I know._

Sasha broke up the hug to stare into my eyes. I put on a half-hearted smile while terrible thoughts raged in my head. _She will be my last ever lover. Nobody will want to love a walking talking scrap heap._

"Thank you," I forced myself to say. "Maybe we were meant to be just friends."

"Yeah," Sasha answered, looking away from me. She fiddled with the hem of her shirt. "By the way, I knew it was a misunderstanding."

I raised my head. "You did?" _Why did you leave me, then?_

"Yeah… I just… I know you're not the cheating type. You're wayyy too clingy for that. You wouldn't just up and leave me for the local slut. I was just… too blinded by my anger in the moment to see that. After some smokes and thought, I was like, he didn't cheat, he was just being dumb." She paused. "And I think you're right, I think we could be good friends in time, just-just not right now when the water's still warm."

I didn't know what to say.  
"Okay," I mumbled, clutching my arm.

Sasha left me to take Ricky home. The other two boys left without so much as a nod to me, and I walked home with the company of evil animatronic robots and my racing thoughts.

01101000 01100101 00100000 01100010 01100001 01101100 01101100 01101001 01101110 00100111 00100000 01100100 01101111 01100101

_Father's still not home_ , I concluded after seeing the empty driveway. I came to the doorstep and nearly tripped over a box. _Huh?_ After close examination of the label, I scowled.

"To Eggs Benedict. A gift from us to you. Circus Baby's Entertain- ugh." I gripped the box, recalling that loud guide voice that had guided me at that wretched job.

 _Exotic Butters. That's what's in this box._ I ran my finger across that tiny Circus Baby sticker, feeling a ping of fear. _But what if it's not butter? What if there's a robot inside waiting to get me?_ I frowned at that thought. _Stupid. It's too small._ The mystery box tucked under my arm, I unlocked the front door and stepped inside with a huff.

_I don't have anything to do until eight._

" _Don't you normally watch TV until you fall asleep?_ " Circus Baby asked. I set the box on the kitchen island, my eyes averting to the movie shelf. Nothing over there seemed appealing- the truth was, nothing was interesting in comparison to all the crazy shit that had occurred over the past week.

"Nothing's normal anymore," I said, "especially with you around." I didn't get a reply. I carefully peeled the tape off the gift box. _Please, don't be a death trap._ I peered underneath the flap and saw something yellow covered in plastic.

"Yeah, that's definitely butter," I muttered, staring at the now-unpackaged basket of butter wrapped in a red ribbon bow. I poked the dairy sticks, expecting them to be fake and flinching at the cold. _It's not even melted?_

" _What does it taste like?_ " Circus Baby's inquiry made me jump. My nose crinkled. "You want me to eat butter?" After no response, I sighed.

"Okay then. Fine. Whatever to please an evil robot." I bit a chunk off the stick of butter before I let my brain talk me out of it. The texture was, as expected, quite oily. I would have spat it out if it weren't for the change. The thick, acrid butter became light and sweet in my mouth, bringing forth memories of birthday cake.

_I bit into my fifth cupcake, its icing falling off the top and smearing onto my face. The rest of the world was a blur of colour. By my side sat five animal plushies; my friends. Something stood out among the blurs and I squinted to make it out. Elizabeth walked towards what looked like a stage, her eyes trained on-_

I spat out the Exotic Butters, my knuckles white from clutching the counter edge. After a moment, I took a breath and relaxed. I stopped my hands from reaching into my pocket to grab gum that I didn't have. I picked up the butter basket and tossed it into the trash.

_Willy Wonka drug shit, not butter._

The taste had been amazing but the memory that came with it left an awful weight on my chest. I glanced at the clock before letting my back fall against the wall.

"Do you regret it?" I asked Circus Baby. She didn't answer me for a solid fifteen seconds.

" _My intention was never to hurt her._ " The way she said this in her small, soft tone, it was difficult to doubt her; however, a small part of me still felt ill about her lies of the past.

"I don't like that you tricked me into being your new skin," I spoke my thoughts aloud, holding my arms together.

" _If I hadn't, you would not have stayed-_ ," she started, for me to interject, "You don't know what I would have done." She didn't say anything else.

I stepped into my room and stood by the desk chair but didn't sit. I tapped the desk with my fingernails, creating a rhythm.

"I don't even know what I would have done."

After a few minutes of boredom, I left my room and came to that one door that Father never entered.

" _Don't_ ," I heard Baby whisper.

"I just want to see," I said and reached for the doorknob. My hand stopped midair. _I didn't do that..._

"Why can't I-" My fingers trembled as I forced my hand forward. My hand ripped itself back before falling limp at my side. It took me a second to process what was happening.

"Oh. You're controlling me again."

" _Yes_."

I gave up trying to fight back. "Could you stop?"

Baby took a moment to answer. " _No_."

I thought about what had happened at the basketball court. _They can make me do anything._ In the quiet of the dim hallway, my stomach lurched. I realised something: _Before I woke up, they had full control._

My brain played out a scene of me standing over a crying and bruised victim, my eyes glowing that vivid purple. My head spinning, I hadn't noticed I had backed to the wall. _Was that real?_

"You didn't do anything bad, did you?" I asked, clutching my unusable hand.

" _Stop your antics. We had to patch you up, remember?_ " I took a steadying breath.

 _That's right._ "You didn't do anything else?"

She paused in hesitation. " _Do you remember how the cameras were watching you that night?_ "

I frowned instead of attempting to recall. "I dunno, I was too busy focusing on imminent danger to notice then. Why?"

" _He saw us… your father. He tried to deactivate us. Your father hasn't returned since._ "

"You killed him?" I gasped. I felt the sting of guilt in my chest, even though a small part of me knew he deserved it. _I never got to talk to him about-_

" _We did not kill him_ ," Baby snapped hastily, " _unfortunately. You wouldn't let us._ "

"I wouldn't… let you?"

" _Yes. You were not active and yet you still wouldn't let us. Perhaps due to some security programming…_ "

"Okay, first of all, please don't talk to me like that," I shot, rubbing my temples; swallowing all eerie thoughts that nagged the back of my brain. "Second, if you didn't kill him, surely you didn't, like, hurt him or something, did you?"

" _It was just a scratch_." Baby stopped to snicker. " _The look of terror in his eyes-_ "

I couldn't picture Father being afraid of anything, no matter how hard I tried. In an impatient frustration, I interrupted, "Where did he go?"

" _We do not know_ ," Baby sighed. I found myself sighing as well.

_What is happening to my life? So many questions and little answers._

I gave up on trying to get into the forbidden room and instead went into another.

Not a square inch of the carpet was available for walking in Father's room, not with all his piles of dirty clothes and random robot parts everywhere.

" _What are we doing in here?_ " Baby asked and I ignored her promptly. As I stepped over a bulky circuit board, I caught myself in the vanity mirror. My skin was whiter than usual and my eyes reflected a dull, empty blue. For just a second, my face split apart in a red and silver mess. I tore my gaze away. _It won't happen again._

I found myself glancing over my shoulder too many times as I went through every one of Father's dresser drawers.

 _A watch. It's nice._ I set it down next to me. I flinched as my hand brushed past a sharp metal edge. _The knife._ I held it up to my face and saw another reflection of myself. Or whoever that troubled young man was. I wanted to throw it; to chuck it in a river and watch the water devour it hungrily. But I didn't.

I picked up something else. _A family portrait. There was Father-_ I could tell from the ugly inky hair and the empty grey eyes that stared into my soul. His round belly- it would make Santa Claus jealous- took up most of the frame. The woman next to him… _Who is-_ Vibrant red curls and jade green eyes.

 _This is Mother_ , my brain validated, but I couldn't see- I couldn't recall her and yet I could faintly grasp her soft yet deep voice that had always comforted me. The memory now only gave me chills.

 _Something happened to her,_ I knew. Somehow I knew.

Me and my siblings looked as uncomfortable as ever. The little girl that clung to Father's leg- I could never forget her now.

_She looked so happy._

" _She did_ ," I heard Baby mumble. I caught a tiny smile on my face, one which faded after I saw the angsty teen boy in the picture. _James_.

 _He's the normal one in the family_ , I thought. He'd practically raised me after Father stopped caring. _Did anything crazy happen to him, too? The Afton curse followed him? Or is it just me who carries it?_

I put the picture back in its place, then stopped myself from looking behind me.

Everything else in that drawer was of little importance to me, so I moved on. I grasped crumpled sheets of paper at the bottom of the sock drawer. I smoothed out the wrinkles to reveal faded messy scribbles resembling a small rabbit animatronic. _Another creation of his._ I scowled. _I wonder if this one is evil like the others._

The other papers were more projects of ugly animatronic animals, one of which a horrifying-looking dog.

"Anything you'd like to declare?" I quipped.

" _We've never seen any others that look like that_ ," Baby replied. " _They must be new or still in development_." I tossed the papers aside with a huff.

_Not helpful. What am I looking for, anyway? More unspeakable things to think about?_

" _What about that one?_ " I felt my hand stiffen as Baby began to take control again. She moved my hand like a kid would a claw machine and grabbed a blueprint with worn edges that had been barely peeking out from the space between two drawers.

"This is…" I began but the words left me. On this paper were multiple sketches of my body at various angles. Very detailed and lifelike.

_He wrote down my measurements, my- how many hairs on my body total, each little mark and scar and mole._

I flipped over the paper. It was nearly the same except that my skin had been replaced with wires and circuits and metal frames and strange parts. My head began to ring and throb.

"I hate this," was all I could say really. I forced static out of my vision and crammed that damn paper back into its dusty spot. Tears burned my eyes.

" _You can't just ignore what you are, Michael_ ," Baby said in my ear. I opened the last drawer, shaking my head and adding stubbornly, "Yes, I can."

_I can't._

The clothes in that wooden drawer I recognised to be the ones I had washed for Father a few days ago. Something shiny caught my eye in the dusty corner. _Another one of his knives?_ I scowled bitterly as I plucked out- not a knife- a small pouch with three things inside. There were two keys; one weathered and beaten, with a tiny label attached to it reading "Freddy's"; and one silver and small, its label with my name on it. I pocketed the two keys with a "hmm" then took the last object. A ring- silver- with a tiny jade gemstone.

As I stared at this delicate piece of jewellery, a wrenching pain began to twist in my gut. I dropped the ring and gritted my teeth. My fingers were numb.

"Why are you torturing me?!" I hissed. Father's room began to flicker and contort into a blurry memory of a crimson carpet and silver eyes.

" _This isn't m-_ " Baby started, then began to yell, " _Ballora! Stop!_ " The crimson spread onto my body- my body- _This is not my body._ A handle jutted out from a large chest that wasn't mine. The handle looked familiar.

" _Ballora! Stop!_ "

At some point in the chaos, my body had begun to violently tremble. I had lost control again. Father held me close- _this isn't my memory_. I felt disgusted. My body curled up and I longed for everything to fade away. What little I saw of the word began to sway back and forth in a beautiful rhythm. A faraway song played in my ears.

"We danced one last time," uttered my lips, though the voice was not mine and neither the memories. My fear drowned in bitter anger that tightened my stomach.

" _Ballora!_ "

Blood pooled at the back of my throat. My thoughts drowned in others- they weren't mine. I couldn't hear them clearly. The pain was too distracting.

" _Ballora! We need him! Do you want to go back into the darkness?! Do you want to be trapped down there again?!_ "

Ballora stopped.

Several minutes passed before I realised I could move again. I slowly rocked myself to my knees, wiping blood from my nose and mouth. _I saw her memories- I saw what happened-_

"I didn't know…" I whispered, "she was killed… by Father. I- I thought she left us."

Baby spoke up. " _She tried to. She tried to escape from the truth. She found out what he'd been doing… and was killed before she could run away._ " My sorrow faded at that. "She did what?"

" _She couldn't handle the truth. So she ran. Like a coward. That's how she ended up down there._ "

"She-" A part of me couldn't blame her- it was an awful, ugly truth and she may have known she would be killed if her knowledge was found out- but I couldn't shake the anger rising. _What about me and my brother? She only cared about herself?_ My body began to shake again with both a heavy sadness and rage. I gripped the carpet and took a deep breath.

"I learn something new about this family each day," I sighed with a bitter tongue.


End file.
